Skip to main content

Clean diesel projects ‘best choice for use of VW settlement’

Clean diesel technology is the best choice for mitigating NOx emissions in the US as part of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, according to the non-profit education association Diesel Technology Forum. In a presentation at the 2017 Energy Policy Outlook Conference hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), Ezra Finkin, the policy director for the Forum, highlighted why clean diesel technology is the best and most cost-effective choice for the immediate mitigation
February 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Clean diesel technology is the best choice for mitigating NOx emissions in the US as part of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, according to the non-profit education association Diesel Technology Forum.
 
In a presentation at the 2017 Energy Policy Outlook Conference hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), Ezra Finkin, the policy director for the Forum, highlighted why clean diesel technology is the best and most cost-effective choice for the immediate mitigation of NOx emissions. He said replacing or upgrading the oldest and largest engines with clean diesel technology is the fastest and most proven way to reduce NOx emissions and achieve the objectives of the settlement.
 
The US$14.7 billion settlement reached between VW, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice includes the Environmental Mitigation Trust, designed to repower or replace older heavy-duty vehicles and equipment with new technology to reduce NOx emissions.  Public and private fleet vehicles are eligible for funding under the program.
 
According to Finkin, new clean diesel engines are near-zero in NOx emissions and are the most cost effective solution in reducing emissions to meet the specific goals established in the Trust.  “For a fixed investment, more NOx can be reduced through investments in clean diesel technology than any other alternative, including natural gas and all-electric applications,” he said.

He stated that, while not primary objectives of the settlement, policymakers should take into consideration these additional and immediate benefits from the clean diesel options.

Related Content

  • Van Pool requests 40 Ballad fuel-cell engines for buses in Germany
    March 6, 2018
    Ballad Power Systems (Ballad) has received a letter of intent from original equipment manufacturer partner Van Hool, for 40 FCveloCity-HD 85-kilowatt fuel cell engines to power buses in Germany under the first Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe (JIVE) program. These projects aim to commercialise fuel cell electric buses, reduce costs and support the development of hydrogen refuelling stations. Van Hool plans to deploy 30 of these buses with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in
  • Asecap prepares for ‘interoperability on steroids’
    March 31, 2023
    The gathering of Europe’s toll professionals offers a chance for views to be exchanged by senior people on a number of big issues: and there’s currently an awful lot to think about, reports Geoff Hadwick
  • Include ITS in policy decisions from the start, not as an afterthought
    February 1, 2012
    DG TREN's Fotis Karamitsos, on why the European Commission's new ITS Action Plan is looking to the past for future direction. The European Commission's (EC's) new Action Plan for the Deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in Europe, which was announced as 2008 drew to a close, intends that transport and travel become 'cleaner; more efficient, including energy efficient; and safer and more secure'. At first sight, that wording might be interpreted as marking a significant policy shift within Europe, wit
  • Need for balance on UK speed enforcement funding cuts
    February 2, 2012
    Trevor Ellis, Chairman of the ITS UK Enforcement Interest Group, considers the implications of the UK Government's decision to withdraw funding for road safety camera partnerships