CCJ

October 2016

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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70 commercial carrier journal | october 2016 EQUIPMENT: EPA-NHTSA PHASE 2 STANDARDS 100,000 to 120,000 miles a year in every corner of the United States, while doing it all at the lowest possible cost," Schaeffer says. For diesel tractor engines, the agencies are adopting standards for MY 2027 that are more stringent than the preferred alternative from the original proposal, and will require reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consump- tion that are 5.1 percent better than the 2017 baseline for the tractor's engine. The agencies also are adopting standards for MY 2021 and MY 2024, requiring reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of 1.8 to 4.2 percent better than the 2017 baseline. For vocational diesel engines, the new standards will require reductions of 2.3, 3.6 and 4.2 percent in MYs 2021, 2024 and 2027, respectively. Those levels are more strin- gent than the original proposed standards and are about as stringent in MY 2021 and MY 2024 as the "Alternative 4" standards discussed during proposal. "Efficiency is by no means a new concept to diesel engine and truck manufacturers," Schaeffer says. "This new rule raises the bar, demanding even further innovation while rec- ognizing the unique considerations of the trucking industry and many differing commercial heavy-duty applications." Phase 2's vehicle and engine performance standards cover MY 2021-27 and apply to semi-trucks, large pickup trucks and vans, and all types and sizes of buses and work trucks. EPA and NHTSA project that the required GHG emis- sions reductions and fuel efficiency improvements will be the "maximum feasible and reasonable amounts for diesel engines based on technological changes that will improve combustion and reduce energy losses." For most of these improvements, EPA and NHTSA project that manufacturers will begin applying improvements to about 45 percent of their heavy-duty engines by 2021, and ultimately apply them to about 95 percent of their heavy- duty engines by 2024. "However, for some of these improvements, we project more limited application rates," the final ruling reads. "In particular, we project a more limited use of waste exhaust heat recovery systems in 2027, projecting that about 10 per- cent of tractor engines will have turbocompounding systems, and an additional 25 percent of tractor engines will employ Rankine-cycle waste heat recovery." Waste heat recovery, which converts heat normally wasted through exhaust into torque, was a component in Volvo's SuperTruck concept truck, which was revealed last month and reached upwards of 13 mpg in testing. Lightweighting solutions While EPA and NHTSA didn't mandate methods to reach the new emissions benchmarks, they did offer likely strate- gies, which included a more prevalent use of aluminum components, including wheels, extrusions and sheeting as part of the lightweighting solution. Research conducted by Ricardo Consulting Engineers sug- gests an "aluminum-intensive" Class 8 commercial tractor- trailer could reduce vehicle weight by 3,300 pounds. For every 10 percent of weight reduction, the group says up to a 5.5 percent improvement in fuel economy is possible. The study also found that outfitting the nation's fleet of Class 8 tractor-trailers with aluminum-intensive models would save 9.3 million tons of CO2 annually, almost 1 per- cent of Phase 2's roughly 1.1 billion ton target. Ford shaved 750 pounds from its flagship F-150 pickup for MY 2015 by converting much of the steel body to aluminum. For 2017, Ford will apply a similar strategy to its beefier Su- per Duty line, but concessions will have to be made in many cases in the Class 8 market. Waste heat recovery, which converts heat normally wasted through exhaust into torque, was a component in Volvo's SuperTruck con- cept truck. Research conducted by Ricardo Consulting En- gineers suggests an 'alu- minum-intensive' Class 8 commercial tractor-trailer could reduce vehicle weight by 3,300 pounds.

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