Last summer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed Phase 2 of the greenhouse gas emission model (GHG). Once approved, the new standard will include additional regulations for heavy-duty diesel engines, affecting truck makers and fleet owners. The new standard highlights the reality that everyone within the industry will be responsible for improving fuel economy and meeting federal emission demands.
After extending the public comment period through April 1, 2016, to accommodate new research, the new rules are currently with the Office of Management and Budget for regulatory review. The EPA and NHTSA are hopeful that the final rule will be approved quickly and will be published in the Federal Register as early as August; however, the final timing has yet to be announced.
With these new standards in the not-so-distant future, now is the time to get familiar with what they will mean for you and your fleet. While the rules won’t be finalized until they make their way through the regulatory committee, here are the key points you need to know about the new heavy truck regulations as of right now:
- The proposed rules will decrease carbon monoxide emissions by an additional 16 percent from Phase 1 standards. Rollout will follow the same, incremental structure as Phase 1, which affected vehicle models from 2014 to 2017.
- The overall goal of the new standards is for heavy-duty vehicles to achieve up to 24 percent lower CO2 emissions and fuel consumption than equivalent 2018 models.
- In an effort to ease into the new standards, emission guidelines will become 2.5 percent more stringent every year from model years 2021 to 2027.
- All manufacturers will face the same standards, but the average emission fuel consumption rates will depend on the manufacturer’s individual sales mix. Higher-capacity vehicles (payload and towing) will have less stringent requirements, while lower-capacity vehicles will have higher standards.
- The goal of the rule update is twofold: to decrease the carbon emissions from fleet trucks and to spur manufacturing innovation, including engine stop-start and powertrain hybridization. New technology, however, is not mandated in the guidelines.
You can find the full details of the changing guidelines here.
The proposed regulations further reinforce the need for all industry parties to play a part in proactively addressing the stringent fuel standards and federal demands. Cenex partners with a variety of industry experts to create enhanced formulations for its premium diesel fuels that help increase fuel economy by as much as 4.5 percent and minimize downtime to help fleet owners meet changing government guidelines.
If you have questions about how your fleet can achieve better fuel economy with Cenex® premium diesel fuels, you can find a fuels distributor near you using our Dealer Locator, or contact us directly.
Photo courtesy of FLICKR USER.