Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2019

HDT APRIL 2019 38 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM odel year 2021 vehicles will be affected by the next round of greenhouse gas emissions reduction regulations and they affect medium duty vehicles too not just heavy duty trucks Back when the 2007 and 2010 soot and NOx emissions rules kicked in we had to educate our customers on those changes as dramatic as they were says Brian Tabel executive director of marketing for Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Most of them didnt know the change was in place but they sure noticed the price jump between 2006 and 2010 MY trucks Tabel and others in the medium duty market are hoping there will be more awareness of the next round of changes With them will come improved fuel efficiency but also a much more complex vehicle because getting those vehicles compliant with the new rules will be challenging The regulation Phase 2 of the Heavy Duty Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards is a comprehensive set of engine and vehicle standards jointly adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promote the use of technology to reduce GHG emissions and improve vehicle fuel efficiency The rule set three stages for model years 2021 2024 and 2027 It builds on standards set in 2012 for MY 2014 and 2017 vehicles Medium duty and GHG The rules that apply to medium duty trucks and heavy duty pickup trucks and vans call for reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of about 16 beyond Phase 1 when fully phased in by 2027 The fully phased in Phase 2 standards for medium duty vocational vehicles Class 4 6 call for reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of up to 24 relative to Phase 1 Those are significant jumps for vehicles that wont see the benefit of improved vehicle aerodynamics In the on highway sector a high percentage of the overall reduction in tailpipe CO2 emissions will come from enhanced aerodynamics In the medium duty and vocational sectors improvements will come from changes in engine and powertrain efficiency lightweighting low rolling resistance tires and tire pressure management Darren Gosbee Navistars vice president of engineering says the improvement in medium duty will come from the engine and the chassis separately specifically straight trucks and delivery vans in Class 3 6 territory On the engine side OEMs will be working to improve combustion efficiency as well as the gas exchange process how efficiently you get the outside air into the combustion chamber and back out again and to reduce parasitic or friction losses within the engine oil and water pumps engine gear train piston rings etc he explains Mild hybridization is Medium duty emissions in 2021 and beyond Medium duty trucks are going to change in model year 2021 GHG Phase 2 emissions rules will require better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions going to factor in the medium duty environment Youll probably see engine stop start technology coupled with energy recovery mechanisms such as regenerative braking and more efficient electric technology depending on the class and duty cycle of the vehicle On the chassis side the reductions in CO2 will come from weight reduction reducing parasitic losses in the powertrain through more efficient axles and with low rolling resistance tires and tire pressure management systems Transmissions have a big role to play too Gosbee says It comes down to the relative efficiencies of torque convertor automatics versus dual clutch automated transmission versus manual with direct gearing Manual transmissions are the most efficient technically speaking but the least popular with medium duty consumers On the heavy duty side customers will have options to get the vehicle into compliance and the OEMs will earn GHG credits based on how efficient the vehicle turns out The OEs will be incentivizing certain technologies to By Jim Park Equipment Editor jpark@ truckinginfo com FUEL SMARTS How will the second phase of the greenhouse gas rules affect medium duty vehicles M PHOTOS JIM PARK