Clean diesel truck engines and emissions control systems now make up on average 30% of all heavy-duty commercial vehicles in operation in the U.S. as a result of adoption by fleets over the past five years, according to a recent report commissioned by the Diesel Technology Forum.
Nearly 3 million heavy-duty diesel commercial vehicles introduced from 2011-2016 in the U.S. are being powered by the latest clean diesel engines. Diesel Technology Forum executive director Allen Schaeffer said that in that five-year period, clean diesel engines have saved 4.2 billion gallons of diesel fuel and reduced 43 million tons of carbon dioxide, 21 million tons of NOx and 1.2 million tons of particulate matter.
“Because diesel overwhelmingly dominates the heavy-duty truck sector and is also the number-one power source for medium-duty vehicles, the transition to newer generations of clean diesel technology (2011 and later model years) is significant,” said Schaeffer. “The 30% national average is up from just 25.7% last year.”
“The U.S. trucking fleet is transitioning to newer clean diesel technology which means immediate fuel savings, lower greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner air,” said Schaeffer. “This newest generation of clean diesel trucks have NOx emissions that are 99% lower than previous generations along with 98% fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the U.S.”
The Diesel Technology Forum is a nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel, and technology.