New US regulations proposed for HGV fuel efficiency and GHG standards
Sat 20 June 2015
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced a joint proposal for a a national programme to establish the next phase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy duty vehicles. This “Phase 2 programme” would significantly reduce carbon emissions and improve the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles.
The standards, which target 18-wheelers, school buses and refuse trucks, is aimed at encouraging manufacturers to adopt hybrid-electric and natural gas engines as well as other fuel-efficient technologies.
The International Business Times reports that over the last ten years there has been a six-fold increase in the number of natural gas-fuelled refuse and recycling trucks in the US, growing to a current fleet of 8,800 vehicles. The US employs thousands of hybrid electric and alternatively fuelled buses, trailers, street sweepers and other large vehicles.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), efficiency improvements from Phases 1 and 2 of the programme together would deliver CO2 and fuel consumption reductions of about 20%–30% for heavy duty pickups and vans, 20% for vocational vehicles, and 30%–45% for tractor-trailers (compared with model year 2010 technology).
The LowCVP is currently working closely with the UK's Department for Transport to develop support for lower carbon trucks and truck technology in the UK, based on a robust assessment and accreditation system. Methane and biodiesel from waste are currently being trialled in UK trucks via the government sponsored Low Carbon Truck Trial.
For more information, see the ICCT news link.
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