DIESEL: Lifeblood of American Commerce
The Clean Diesel Transfusion
Diesel moves approximately 90% of the nation’s freight tonnage with nearly all highway freight trucks powered by diesel engines. According to the American Trucking Associations, 3.46 million Class 8 vehicles currently on the road in the US burn 37 billion gallons of diesel fuel to move 9.2 billion tons of freight annually. These vehicles account for 20% of the total fuel consumed in the US.
Diesel, a petroleum-based fuel, is the world’s most efficient internal combustion engine. Because it has the highest energy density among transportation fuels, it provides more power and fuel efficiency than alternatives such as gasoline, compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas.
Over the last decade, emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks, buses and other vehicles have been reduced by 99% for nitrogen oxides (NOx) — an ozone precursor — and 98% for particulate emissions. The new generation of clean diesel vehicles is a growing portion of the total diesel commercial truck population with more than 37% of all diesel medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks registered in the United States now equipped with newer technology clean diesel engines — model year 2007 or newer has near zero particulate emissions and model year 2010 or newer has near zero nitrogen oxides as well. In fact, it would take 60 of the 2010 trucks to equal the emissions of one pre-1988 truck — 60:1 ratio!
Diesel engine and truck manufacturers have been turning out vehicles that are at once more fuel efficient and dramatically cleaner, a significant accomplishment considering that increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions are competing forces in engine design.
In fact, diesel vehicles manufactured after 2010 achieve an average 5% improvement in fuel economy resulting in a petroleum reduction equivalent to 21 million barrels of crude oil. Additional fuel-saving strategies are being developed to improve efficiency, including further engine refinements, vehicle aerodynamics and expanded use of hybrid technology.
In addition, advanced technologies such as electronic controls, common rail fuel injection, variable injection timing, improved combustion chamber configuration and turbo charging have made diesel engines cleaner, quieter and more powerful than ever before.
Efficiency advancements have fueled speculation of a ‘revolution’ in fuels and technology in the trucking industry. Indeed, environmental benefits and fuel savings are increasing as commercial trucking fleets invest in the new technology.
In fact, Exxon Mobil predicts that not only will diesel surpass gasoline as the number one global transportation fuel by 2020, diesel demand will also account for 70% of the increased demand for all transportation fuels through 2040. Exxon Mobil also projects that natural gas will make small gains in shares of the global transportation fuel mix — at 4% by 2040.
There is no doubt that diesel power is and will be the driving force moving goods by truck both in the US and in the broader global economy. Clean diesel will play a central role in efforts to reduce fuel consumption, promote energy security and lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the years ahead. Diesel also provides a unique technology platform suitable for expanded use of hybrid power trains and lower-carbon renewable fuels — both strategies for reducing GHG emissions in the future.
While new engines and vehicles are going greener, technologies to reduce emissions from older vehicles are now more readily available. Through the use of retrofit upgrades, older diesel engines can achieve improved performance and reduce key emissions by up to 90%. More information on retrofit technology and ongoing programs can be found in the Diesel Forum’s Online Retrofit Tool Kit.
For information about engine certification standards and government regulations, visit the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) website.
Alkane thanks the Diesel Technology Forum, Exxon Mobil’s Energy Factor and the American Trucking Associations for the content of this article.
Alkane Truck Company is currently raising capital on the crowdfunding platform StartEngine. Find out more here: https://www.startengine.com/startup/alkane
