OEMs Invest in Alternative Fueling Solutions, Including Diesel Engines
Article created for the digital issue聽of聽the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚 magazine.
Equipment manufacturers are rolling out low and zero-emission solutions that will help reduce carbon emissions and are investing in several technologies to meet future regulatory and customer requirements.
BEVs and Hydrogen Hit the Road
OEMs have several battery electric and hydrogen solutions in use in real-world applications. Volvo Group has 3,500 battery-electric trucks on the road. 鈥淚t shows battery-electric trucks are part of our customers鈥� business already,鈥� Alm said.
Hydrogen fuel cell trucks are also in use. Hyundai has also deployed hydrogen fuel cell trucks all over the world, including in California, and has found that fuel cells are robust. 鈥淭he customer proof is a great experience that gives us a big tailwind for the next steps, which we are planning to do and execute further,鈥� said .
, encouraged attendees to try new technologies. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not trying what is available today, you鈥檙e going to be behind the adoption curve,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 wait. Whether it is a battery-electric vehicle, a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, if you wait, you will be left behind. Start your planning. At least try one.鈥�
The Role of Routing
Infrastructure is a critical part of the conversation as fleets adopt or even consider alternative technologies. 鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just buying a truck anymore,鈥� said . 鈥淏efore we were selling iron, now we sell solutions.鈥�
Randall said OEMs will have to work with customers to identify applications and routes that can support BEVs and hydrogen.
, said a lack of charging infrastructure is 鈥渁 limiting factor鈥� that is slowing the pace of adoption.
The Continued Need for Diesel Fuel
Even with new advancements, traditional diesel-powered internal combustion engines will remain relevant and continue to get cleaner. 鈥淭he diesel business is not dead, and it鈥檚 going to have a very long tail on top of it,鈥� Skoog said. 聽鈥淲e鈥檙e designing engines to be compliant with the 2027 regulations and beyond.鈥�
Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, noted that diesel engines are 60 times cleaner than they were at the beginning of the century. 鈥淚f we improve fuel efficiency on diesel engines, the impact on the climate is much, much higher,鈥� he said.
Diesel internal combustion engines are also expected to transition to renewable diesel and fossil-free fuels. 鈥淭he internal combustion engine will continue to exist in the future鈥�2040, 2050鈥攂ut we can ask ourselves what fuel it will use,鈥� Voorhoeve said.
Renewable diesel meets the American Society for Testing and Materials D975 specification for petroleum diesel and can be used as a drop-in fuel in existing diesel engines. According to the 2024 State of Sustainable Fuels report, which was released at ACT Expo, the use of renewable diesel (RD) is already on the rise. RD consumption increased by 68% in 2023 compared to 2022.
// This article was created for聽Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the 黑料社区Foundation. Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The 黑料社区Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the traveling public鈥檚 needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit聽www.natsofoundation.org聽for more information.
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