The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Monday proposed the first-ever fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses.
The affected vehicles, ranging from large pickup trucks to big rigs, today consume about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, one-fifth of total transportation oil use in the U.S.
EPA said the proposed standard would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 250 million metric tons and save 500 million barrels of oil over the lives of the vehicles produced within the program’s first five years.
For combination tractors, the agencies are proposing engine and vehicle standards that begin in the 2014 model year and achieve up to a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption by 2018 model year.
For heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, the agencies are proposing separate gasoline and diesel truck standards, which phase in starting in the 2014 model year and achieve up to a 10% reduction for gasoline vehicles and 15% reduction for diesel vehicles by 2018 model year.
Lastly, for vocational vehicles, the agencies are proposing engine and vehicle standards starting in the 2014 model year which would achieve up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 2018 model year.
Overall, NHTSA and EPA estimate that the heavy-duty national program would provide $41 billion in net benefits over the lifetime of model year 2014 to 2018 vehicles.
With the potential for significant fuel efficiency gains, ranging from 7% to 20%, drivers and operators could expect to net significant savings over the long-term. For example, it is estimated an operator of a semi truck could pay for the technology upgrades in under a year, and save as much as $74,000 over the truck’s useful life. Vehicles with lower annual miles would typically experience longer payback periods, up to four or five years, but would still reap cost-savings, EPA said.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) applauded the agencies’ willingness to tackle the complex standards, but noted that they missed additional opportunities to save fuel.
A National Academy of Sciences study published earlier this year shows how long-haul tractor-trailers (the biggest diesel users) could reduce their fuel consumption by at least 35% by 2017, using measures that would pay for themselves in two years. Also, trailers are not covered by the rule, even though improving trailers’ aerodynamics and tires alone could reduce fuel use by 10%.
Therese Langer, Director of ACEEE’s Transportation Program said the program needs to do more to draw advanced technologies into the market–especially for vocational trucks such as refuse trucks, delivery vans, utility trucks, and school buses.
According to ACEEE the standards should ensure that companies using newer technologies, from advanced transmissions to hybrid drive trains, can readily get credit for doing so. Moreover, the standards should set the efficiency bar high enough that the entire industry will start using these technologies sooner rather than later. The proposed standards would require little of the vocational trucks, however, and as a result would not do much to accelerate the uptake of advanced technologies. Similarly, while engine improvements anticipated later in this decade could achieve fuel savings in excess of 10%, the proposal calls for only 6%.
EPA and DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are beginning a 60-day comment period.
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