One third of US diesel trucks use new diesel technology
16 August 2018
The adoption of the cleanest diesel truck technology in the United States has jumped by 6% in one year and now makes up more than one-third of all trucks on the road, with some states having new technology diesel in more than two-thirds of their fleets, says new research from the Diesel Technology Forum.
According to analysis by the Diesel Technology Forum of 2017 US vehicles in operation data provided by IHS Markit, 36% of all Class 3-8 commercial diesel trucks on US roads are now powered by the newest generation of diesel technologies—MY 2011 and newer—up from just 30% in 2016 and 25.7% in 2015. More than 4.9 million new-technology diesel trucks are now in operation on US roads.
US EPA 2010 emission standards for heavy-duty diesel engines include a NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr and a PM limit of 0.01 g/bhp-hr. All trucks in the US market meet these limits using urea-SCR for NOx reduction and diesel particulate filters. The trucks also meet the Phase 1 GHG and fuel economy standards adopted in 2011.
The adoption rates of the newest diesel technologies varies between states. Indiana, Tennessee and the District of Columbia have the highest percentage of new-generation Class 8 diesel trucks (IN 66%; TN 60%; DC 48%). States with the lowest adoption rates of new diesel technology are North Dakota (16%), South Dakota (17%), Alaska (20%), Idaho (21%) and Kentucky (23%).
97% of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks (all model years) rely on diesel fuel. Among commercial Class 3-8 trucks, about 21% use gasoline—mostly those of smaller weight (GVW)—and about 4% use other fuels, with those using natural gas amounting to less than 1%.
The adoption of new truck technology has accelerated due to the very strong market for Class 8 trucks. Preliminary North American Class 8 orders for July 2018 hit an all-time high of 52,250 units, just surpassing the previous record of 52,194 orders in March 2006, according to data by FTR Transportation Intelligence. Class 8 orders were up 25% month-on-month and 187% year-on-year.
Source: Diesel Technology Forum