The 2010 Diesel Emissions Debate Heats Up

March 11, 2009
It's getting ugly out there...
It's getting ugly. That's the only way to describe the "debate" over the differing technology paths chosen by diesel engine manufacturers to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2010 diesel emissions standards for the reduction of NOx to 0.20 g/hp-hr. As things stand today, there will be two competing technologies offered by engine makers next year, but the battle for supremacy has already reached a fever pitch. Without going into which manufacturer is offering which technology (by now pretty much everyone in the trucking industry is aware of the players and their strategies), I will say that never before, in 8+ years of working in this industry, have I been as beseiged with information, opinion and spin as I have been regarding the 2010 engine issue over the past few months. And it's ugly. The ugliness has reached a point where several engine manufacturers are hastily organizing a press event next week at the Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, to defend their technology choices and debunk what they regard as misinformation being presented by the "other side."  I personally don't know which technology will be "better." Each has its own unique pros and cons, and each fleet will have to decide how much inconvenience--and perhaps risk--it is willing to take when deciding on a diesel engine supplier from 2010 on. It should be an interesting process. Where do you stand? Have you been studying up on your choices for 2010? Have you made a decision on which technology and which manufacturer you'll throw in with? We'd love to know what you've chosen, and why.

About the Author

Mark O'Connell | Fleet Maintenance contributor

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