Emission-Reducing Solutions Readily Available Today
Congress can slash truck emissions by 83% by repealing the 12% federal excise tax, which disincentives fleets from upgrading their equipment with today’s clean trucks.
- 2010 marked a major milestone in truck engine technology with the standardization of selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters.
- A truck sold in 2006 emits roughly ten times the amount of NOx and particulate matter as a truck sold today.
- 43% of the trucks in our nation’s fleet are pre-2010 models, and less than 1% are zero-emission.
Policymakers should create a regulatory framework that doesn’t pick technological winners and losers, allows innovation to flourish, and capitalizes on other alternative fuels that can transition us to a zero-emission future.
Renewable Diesel
Renewable Diesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%. It uses the same infrastructure as diesel, has few performance issues, and is cost-competitive.
Building on its prior research that examined pathways for reducing the trucking industry’s carbon footprint, the American Transportation Research Institute's newest research found that renewable diesel has a significantly higher potential for reducing the industry’s CO2 emissions at a much lower cost than transitioning the nation’s trucks to battery electric vehicles.
Read: ATRI Executive Summary: Renewable Diesel - A Catalyst for Decarbonization
Natural Gas
Natural gas is a clean-burning, energy-dense liquid fuel that is abundant, quieter, cheaper, and residue-free.
Flex-Fuel Hybrid Technologies
Flex-fuel hybrid technologies allow such trucks to gain early entry into the marketplace by overcoming limited range, cost, and battery-weight concerns.
Battery-Electric Technology
Battery-electric technology shows promise in limited range and return-to-depot operations where charging downtime can be scheduled.
Hydrogen shows enormous potential for long-haul operations, reducing weight constraints and charging downtimes from BEVs.
The commercial truck industry is diverse, and many technology solutions will be needed to support a decarbonized future.
Information courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute.
Where are Battery Electric Vehicles Viable Today?
In the near term, there are discrete applications for Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) trucks. Local and regional truck operations that rely on shorter trips and return the truck to terminals for nightly charging are feasible today. In the absence of public policies that mandate the purchase of these BEVs, carriers themselves will have to decide if the costs and benefits of a BEV truck fit well with their business models. And those decisions will be conditioned on truck costs, shipper/freight requirements, and access to abundant and inexpensive electricity. Issues arise however if any one or more of these decision-making inputs is not viable.
Producing BEV trucks that meet carriers’ operational requirements, including impacts on operations and balance sheets and providing ample charging, must be addressed by the entire supply chain. Utilities must ensure that expanded electrification is feasible as well. It is inappropriate, however, to place these burdens squarely on motor carriers.
Alternative Fuels
Biodiesel
U.S. production of biodiesel was 159 million gallons in December 2020. Biodiesel production in December 2020 was 8 million gallons higher than in November 2020. Maine has recognized potential in production from forest products.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is gaining traction in California while the United States has a mere 3100, mostly medium-duty vehicles, utilizing the fuel and only 14 heavy-duty units as of 2020. There is a growing thought the units could perform better than electric for the truck market.
Fuel Calculator
The link below allows users to compare current diesel use to projected costs for alternative fuels.