Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy Trucks will Cut Carbon Pollution and Save Money
WASHINGTON – Heavy duty trucks and tractor-trailers in the United States will be required to run on less fuel and generate less carbon pollution under fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards made final today by the Obama administration.
The following is a statement by Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“This is a win-win for businesses and our climate. It saves money, encourages innovation, and reduces carbon emissions. Cutting transportation pollution helps the U.S. meet its climate goals, but we can’t ease up on the gas pedal in our efforts to make vehicles cleaner and more fuel-efficient.”
The standards apply to heavy trucks produced in the model years 2021-2027, and to transit and school buses, delivery vans, public utility, and other service vehicles.
Today’s rule marks the second of two sets of standards for heavy trucks. Phase 1 standards, to be fully implemented by 2018, are expected to achieve about a 16 percent cut in fuel use and pollution, compared to new vehicles in the 2010 model year. Phase 2 standards could cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 1 billion metric tons, and reduce the amount of fuel long-haul tractors consume by up to 25 percent, the administration estimates.
The buyer of a new long-haul truck in 2027 would recoup the extra cost of the new technology in under 2 years through fuel savings, according to administration estimates.
Truck manufacturers can use a range of technologies to meet the standards—from improvements in engines and transmissions to better aerodynamic designs, more fuel-efficient tires and weight reduction. The new rules also aim to control leakage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from vehicle air conditioners.
Luke Tonachel, vehicles director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, has more details in his blog, found here: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/luke-tonachel/truck-standards-deliver-big-savings
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