With current engineering systems and recent technology advances as well as expected breakthroughs, it appears the waste management industry and others impacted by the new rules will be able to weather them without too much hardship.
Shane Terblanche
Here comes Phase II of tough, stringent fuel-economy standards for refuse haulers and other heavy-duty vehicles. But like Phase I rules, they may not prove too difficult because of new advances in technology, engineering and the use of available options.
The proposed fuel-economy standards, unveiled in mid-June by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), call for refuse trucks and other large diesel-powered vehicles manufactured from 2021to 2027 to use 16 to 24 percent less fuel depending on their size by 2027. The government is likely to approve the final Phase II rules in 2016 after mulling industry and public comment. Those comments are being received at public meetings now and others will be submitted through year-end.
Current Phase I rules apply to model year 2014 to 2018 heavy-duty trucks. They reflect fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations finalized in August 2011 and, under them, refuse haulers, mixers and other vocational machines must achieve a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption by 2017. Separate engine standards apply that call for a 9 percent reduction by then. The greenhouse gas (GHG) targets mainly are for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide.
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Expected Environmental Gains from New Rules听
When fully phased in, the new rules are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1 billion metric tons, trucks鈥� fuel expenses by $170 billion and oil consumption by 1.8 billion barrels over their lifetime. The EPA estimates that medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for about 20 percent of GHG emissions and oil use in the U.S. transportation sector. Large diesel-powered vehicles such as refuse haulers account for roughly 7 percent of all vehicles on U.S. roads but a quarter of fuel consumption.
Under the anticipated rules, local neighborhood refuse trucks could make a significant impact on paring emissions and fuel consumed. That鈥檚 because a typical refuse truck travels 25,000 miles a year but gets only 2 to 4 mpg. This equates to about 8,600 gallons of fuel each year for each of the nation鈥檚 120,000 refuse trucks in service, or more than 1 billion gallons of fuel annually. Current Phase I standards are anticipated to cut GHGs by 270 million metric tons and fuel costs by $50 billion while also saving 530 million barrels of oil.
Government officials contend that much of the projected fuel-efficiency savings will be achieved with current technology and anticipated engineering and tech breakthroughs. These technologies, as the EPA and NHTSA see it, include those that improve transmissions and maximize engine combustion as well as improve aerodynamics and deliver tires with low-rolling resistance.
Other technologies will help greatly to meet the new standards as well, including progress with hydraulic technology.
Hydraulic technology allows for braking energy to be stored in high-pressure accumulators when a driver presses the brakes. Therefore, the more stops, the more energy. The energy saved while braking both powers and moves the truck hydraulically. This reduced engine use decreases fuel consumption, ultimately reducing overall emissions.
To be noted, the proposed Phase II standards maintain separate CO2 emissions standards for complete vehicles and for engines, which is an important distinction for component suppliers. Phase I targets have been met primarily through improvements in existing hardware and software, including exhaust after-treatment devices, anti-idling upgrades and changes in operating strategies that enable fleet managers to minimize their environmental impact.
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Reactions to Phase II Proposals
Suppliers of engines and components already have voiced approval of the Phase II engine standards, citing technological advances. And while the new standards will mean higher truck prices, the anticipated return on investment with the new technologies will pay for itself.
The new measures could add as much as $12,000 to the cost of a new semi-truck,听which runs anywhere from $60,000 to $200,000,听estimates the NHTSA. But fuel-efficiency savings will help counter that higher price tag. The NTHSA figures buyers of new trucks听will听recoup that investment in less than two years. However, it isn鈥檛 known what the Phase II rules will mean to higher prices of refuse haulers. The NHTSA maintains that net benefits to the U.S. of the tougher standards would reach $230 billion while better protecting Americans鈥� health.
Final Phase II rules, expected in 2016, likely will be tweaked to reflect comments from industry and environmental interests. Still, the standards aren鈥檛 likely to be changed that much. They鈥檒l call for further significant advances in curbing GHG emissions and reducing fuel use.
In all, with current engineering systems and recent technology advances as well as expected breakthroughs, it appears the waste management industry and others impacted by the new rules will be able to weather them without too much hardship. That says something very encouraging about the current communication efforts by industry and government regulators to work together to improve the environment and conserve the planet鈥檚 natural resources.
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Shane Terblanche is General Manager of Hybrid Drive Systems at Parker Hannifin Corp. (Columbus, Ohio). Prior to joining Parker, he served as general manager of Electric Vehicles at Navistar where he led the company鈥檚 efforts to bring the first electric-born delivery vehicle to market in North America. Previously, Shane held several other management positions at Motorcar Company of Botswana and BAE Land Systems. For more information, call (866) 858-5600 or visit parkerhybrid.parker.com.
Sidebar
Haulers Benefit from Parker Hannifin鈥檚 RunWise Hydraulics Drive System听
Parker Hannifin鈥檚 RunWise庐 Advanced Series Hybrid Drive system for refuse vehicles represents an alternative technology that decreases emissions and costs for municipalities. Since 2010, more than 200 hydraulic hybrid drive systems are currently in the market where they have accumulated roughly 2.5 million miles of operation and more than 250,000 hours of service. They have reduced fuel consumption by 43 percent compared to conventional diesel fuel refuse haulers.
It is proven as a top alternative fuel technology. For instance, The EPA has placed the RunWise Advanced Series Hybrid Drive on its National Clean Diesel Campaign鈥檚 emerging technologies list. Additionally, In June, in a significant milestone, the California Air Resources Board certified the RunWise system paired with Cummins Engine Co.鈥檚 2015 model-year engine as helping improve fuel economy and efficiency in California refuse fleets by up to 50 percent.
Its brake energy recovery system helps lower fuel consumption by converting the vehicle鈥檚 kinetic energy into stored energy by compressing nitrogen gas in a storage device called an accumulator. In addition, the system greatly reduces maintenance and downtime. Consider the difference between brake systems of standard and hydraulic vehicles. Generally, brakes need replacing only once in a hydraulic truck鈥檚 typical 10-year lifespan compared to one to three times a year for standard trucks.
A study by the City of Orlando, Fla., on cost savings for its nine RunWise hybrid unit refuse trucks estimates annual brake savings of $12,000 per truck; fuel savings of $10,000 a truck; and productivity savings of $9,000 per year. Over a 10-year period, that represents $2.8 million in savings for the nine hybrid trucks vs. an equivalent truck. It has pared fuel consumption by 47 percent, even better than Parker Hannifin鈥檚 43 percent reduction for its larger group of haulers.
As for CO2 reductions, the City of Orlando estimates that over a 10-year life, the hydraulic system will pare pollutants by 2,839 tons on the nine hybrids, which equates to removing 542 mid-sized vehicles from the road or planting 66,038 tree seedlings and letting them grow for 10 years.