Skip to main content

New clean diesel cars and light trucks to ‘help US achieve greenhouse gas reductions’

Advances in emissions control technology in clean diesel passenger cars and light duty pickup trucks will have a positive effect on efforts to reduce future Greenhouse Gas Emissions, according to the federal government’s newly-released Draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR). The Draft TAR, which covers vehicle model years 2022-2025, confirms that automotive manufacturers are introducing new technology to market at a rapid pace, and predicts that the MY 2022-2025 standards are achievable with a wide ran
July 25, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Advances in emissions control technology in clean diesel passenger cars and light duty pickup trucks will have a positive effect on efforts to reduce future Greenhouse Gas Emissions, according to the federal government’s newly-released Draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR).
 
The Draft TAR, which covers vehicle model years 2022-2025, confirms that automotive manufacturers are introducing new technology to market at a rapid pace, and predicts that the MY 2022-2025 standards are achievable with a wide range of technologies.

According to a mid-term evaluation by the 324 US Department of Transportation (DOT), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Air Resource Board (CARB), despite recent EPA and California ARB compliance actions with respect to light-duty diesel NOx emissions, diesel engines remain a technology for the reduction of GHG emissions from light-duty vehicles. Advances in NOx and PM emissions control technology are bringing light duty diesels fully into compliance with Federal Tier 3 and California LEV III emissions standards at a cost that is competitive with the cost-effectiveness of other high efficiency, advanced engine technologies.
 
The Draft TAR states that diesel engines are continuing to evolve using technologies similar to those being introduced in new light-duty gasoline engines and heavy-duty diesel truck engines, including the use of advanced friction reduction measures, increased turbocharger boosting and engine downsizing and the improved integration of exhaust emissions control systems for criteria pollutant control, among others.
 
According to the Draft TAR, the best Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) - a measure of energy efficiency - of advanced diesel engines under development for light duty applications is now 46 percent and thus is approaching that of heavy-duty diesel truck engines.  In contrast, gasoline engines today achieve around 37 per cent.
 
The draft report also summarises the results of commissioned research surveying auto reviews of advanced fuel economy technologies.  Three-out-of-four auto writers and auto analysts report a favourable rating for diesel technology concerning consumer acceptance, which was among the highest rated powertrains.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Freight poses growing problem for city authorities
    March 3, 2017
    Wes Guckert considers possible solutions and countermeasures to the problems of increased freight deliveries in growing cities. In January 2016, the US Department of Transportation (USDoT) conducted a session on the SmartCity Challenge and Urban Freight and Logistics. This session was a follow-up to the USDoT report titled, Beyond Traffic 2045.
  • Kapsch ‘opens the way’ to interoperability
    July 30, 2013
    Richard Turnock, chief technology officer of Kapsch TrafficCom North America explains what advantages its newly-opened TDM protocol can offer as a US-wide standard for tolling interoperability. The electronic tolling industry across the United States is evolving. Historically it was characterised by clusters of interoperability where a motorist may be able to use the same transponder across a large area, such as the 15-State E-ZPass system, or be confined to a single State system. Now, however, the industry
  • Sustainable mobility model
    January 27, 2012
    It is only in the last couple of years that the viability of all-electric vehicles for day to day transport has begun to be recognised. Back in 2000, that was not the case, certainly in Italy, where a few pilot projects involving EVs were carried out with negative results. It is against this background, that the innovative Reggio Emilia eco-rental experience must be assessed.
  • Sustainable mobility model
    February 6, 2012
    It is only in the last couple of years that the viability of all-electric vehicles for day to day transport has begun to be recognised. Back in 2000, that was not the case, certainly in Italy, where a few pilot projects involving EVs were carried out with negative results. It is against this background, that the innovative Reggio Emilia eco-rental experience must be assessed.