2022 The Year that Was – Looking Back
by Allen Schaeffer (Diesel Technology Forum) … The year began with a virtual debate hosted by Mobility Impact Partners, where DTF represented the bold and bright future for internal combustion engines vs. electrification (UC Davis) vs hydrogen (Toyota) in trucking. Results of the online survey that followed the session showed that a majority of event attendees agreed with us that diesel would continue to dominate heavy duty trucking sector well into 2030.
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Accelerating fleet turnover to newer advanced diesel trucks and using renewable diesel fuels was found to achieve three times the GHG reductions at 25% of the cost of electrification in the next decade.
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The role of renewable diesel fuels – also known as hydrogenated vegetable oil or HVO – was recognized uniformly by all heavy-duty engine manufacturers as an established substitute for diesel fuel, delivering immediate carbon reductions of 50-85%. Fleet experience proves out the renewable fuel benefits. Applications ranging from electric power generation to construction, trucking, and agriculture all are ideally suited for renewable diesel fuel use without any modifications.
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EPA ended the year with a bang finalizing its first major heavy-duty truck engine emissions standard in 20 years setting the stage for pushing emissions that are already near zero, even nearer-to-zero while boosting durability and useful life requirements starting for new trucks in 2027. The rule sets up the next chapter in the future for diesel as the dominant technology powering the nation’s trucking fleet.
Policies seeking to replace or limit the use of diesel were a frequent topic last year as in many previous years. READ MORE
