In the 8-state southern region comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, the newest, cleanest, near-zero-emissions diesel truck technologies now make up 48.1 percent of the diesel-powered commercial vehicles on U.S. roads, according to the Diesel Technology Forum鈥檚 analysis of 2020 U.S. vehicles in operation data (Class 3-8) provided by IHS Markit.
鈥淎s more of America鈥檚 commercial trucks of all sizes rely on the newest, cleanest diesel technologies, greater air quality and fuel savings benefits are being realized by communities across the country,鈥� said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum that represents leading manufacturers and suppliers of advanced engines and components, emissions control systems and both petroleum and renewable fuel interests.
鈥淥ur analysis of 2020 U.S. vehicles in operation data of Class 3-8 vehicles (box delivery trucks to 18-wheelers), shows that the share of new technology diesel vehicles in the fleet in the region expanded by just over 6 percent between July 2019 and December 2020. Tennessee, one of the EPA Region 4 states, is leading the region for the highest percentage of newest-generation diesel trucks, with 51 percent of the state鈥檚 diesel fleet using the newest, cleanest diesel technologies. This compares to a national average of 49 percent.
鈥淲hile the promise of zero-emission commercial vehicles in the future is growing, it may be many years if not a decade or more before these solutions enter the fleet in significant numbers, making the growth in new near-zero emissions diesel trucks key to sustaining climate and clean air progress.
鈥淏eginning in 2010, all new heavy-duty trucks have been equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and particulate control technologies. These active systems utilize diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to achieve near zero emissions and comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions requirements for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of no more than 0.20 grams per brake horsepower hour (g/BHP-hr), and particulate matter (PM) emissions levels of no more than 0.01 g/BHP-hr.
National Analysis
Nationwide, the newest, cleanest, near-zero-emissions diesel truck technologies now make up almost half of the more than 11 million diesel-powered commercial vehicles on U.S. roads, according to the Diesel Technology Forum鈥檚 analysis of 2020 U.S. vehicles in operation data (Class 3-8) provided by IHS Markit.
Since 2007, these newest-generation diesel trucks nationwide have eliminated 202 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), 27 million tonnes of NOx, and saved almost 20 billion gallons of diesel and 472 million barrels of crude oil. 聽Put into context, the emissions and fuel savings attributable to new-generation diesel engines in commercial trucks equates to making 43 million cars all-electric or creating 42,000 wind turbines on land five times the size of Washington, D.C.
By 2030, thanks to the continued increase of newest-generation diesel-powered vehicles, these savings are projected to grow to 1.3 billion tonnes of CO2, 47million tonnes of NOx, 2.7 million tonnes of PM, 130 billion gallons of diesel and 3.1 billion barrels of crude oil.
According to Vehicles in Operation Data (2019-2020) from IHS Markit, a total of 15 states are at or above the national average for the percentage of clean diesel Class 3-8 commercial vehicles (all U.S.: 49 percent), and 23 states are growing their clean diesel fleets faster than the national average (all U.S.: 6.3 percent).
For more information, visit聽.