For the first time, the U.S. government is establishing standards for fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions for large trucks and buses. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have proposed 20% cuts in fuel use by 2018.
The standards would apply to model year ’14–’18 buses along with three separate truck classes: combination tractors that typically pull trailers, heavy-duty pickups and delivery vans, and “vocational” trucks (e.g.: utility vehicles, fire and garbage trucks). The standards would also produce unspecified reductions in nitrogen oxides, methane, particulate matter and other pollutants. The EPA and NHTSA estimate that achieving the standards could cost the truck manufacturing and trucking industry $7.7 billion invested in four technological areas: engines, aerodynamics, tires and reduced engine idling.
For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.