Emissions & Efficiency

Clearing Up Some GHG Myths

April 11, 2016

I have been out and about quite a bit in the last several months. And in addition to talking with folks about improving miles per gallon, I have also been chatting with them about the proposed Greenhouse Gas Phase 2 regulations. What I’ve found is that while a lot of people are fairly knowledgeable on the subject there are some misperceptions out there.

Myth #1: Waste recovery heat is a mandatory technology.

Reality: The proposed standards do not mandate any specific technology to reach the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption reductions. Rather they allow manufacturers to choose the technologies they believe will work best for their vehicles. This is likely to include improvements to transmissions and aerodynamics as well as the use of low rolling resistance tires and idle-reduction technologies. Will some manufacturers choose waste heat recovery? They could, but the point is they don’t have to.

Myth #2: Compliance with the regulations falls to the fleets.

Reality: The onus for this one is on the truck, trailer and engine makers, not the fleets. And the good news is the standards are for model years 2021-2027, giving the manufacturers a fair amount of time to find and fine tune technology solutions that are both reliable and cost effective.

Myth #3: A pre-buy is inevitable.

Reality: Our goal is to help the industry avoid a pre-buy. In order for that to happen truck, trailer and engine makers need to design cost-effective products with no adverse consequences. And fleets have to remember that if they buy in 2020 to avoid the likely price increase of 2021 trucks, they also are likely to miss out on some good technology that will result in fuel savings. With fuel prices low today that may not be a big concern. But who knows what fuel prices will be three years or more from now.

Regardless of what you think about the proposed GHG Phase 2 regulations, the fact of the matter is they will exist in some form or another so you better have the facts so you are prepared to deal with them in a way that makes the most sense for your operation.

About the Author

Michael Roeth | Executive Director

Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales, and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.