GREEN ISSUES
21 Apr 08. Navistar clarifies myths about environmental impact of trucks, diesel engines. Below is a list of things that the public may not realize about green transportation:
Do Trucks Really Need to Idle at Truck Stops?
New technology provides trucks the necessary in-cab
power without needing engines to idle. A MaxxPowerTM auxiliary power unit
(APU) from Navistar provides truck drivers with a best-in-class power system
that can save each truck more than $7,000 in fuel costs each year because the
trucks will not need to idle to produce power. No idling means less diesel
fuel used. The APU can produce the power many trucks rely on while using only
two-tenths of a gallon per hour.
Environmental product: Auxiliary Power Unit
Fuel savings: 1,920 gallons* annually per truck
Financial savings: $7,600* annually per truck
Environmental advantage: Significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions (in
idle mode), reduced fuel use
(*Savings based on 2,400 hours idle time/year; 0.8 gallon/hour savings;
national average diesel price of $3.97 on 3/17/08)
Are Semi-Trucks Fuel-Guzzlers?
New advances in truck design allow for more aerodynamic, fuel-efficient travel. The International® ProStar™ is the most fuel efficient semi-truck on the road today, achieving a fuel savings of more than $5,000 per truck. The fuel savings is based on traveling 144,000 miles annually and when compared to a leading competitor. It results in a whopping 1,300 gallons of fuel saved each year. ProStar is designated an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
SmartWay™ solution. If 30 percent of new trucks sold were SmartWay
tractor-trailer combinations, the EPA estimates that more than a million
barrels of oil would be saved a year, reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by up to 1.2 million tons. The new SmartWay combination
tractor-trailer meets EPA’s health-based 2007 air pollution standards for
heavy-duty diesel engines, achieving significant reductions in NOx,
particulate matter and other air pollutants. Along with idle management products such as the MaxxPower APU and cleaner diesel engines, today’s semi-trucks are more environmentally responsible than ever before.
Environmental product: Aerodynamic semi-trucks
Fuel savings: More than 1,300 gallons annually per truck (ProStar)
Financial savings: More than $5,000 annually per truck (ProStar)
Environmental advantage: Reduced fuel use, reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Why Not Hybrid Trucks?
Hybrid trucks actually are in production today. In fact, Navistar is the
first company to enter full assembly line production of hybrid commercial
trucks. To date, the company has built more that 100 hybrid trucks that are
in service by more than a dozen major utility companies, including Florida
Power & Light, Exelon and American Electric Power.
The International® DuraStar Hybrid can provide dramatic fuel
savings of 30 to 40 percent in many applications. Fuel efficiency can
increase to more than 60 percent in utility-type applications. Diesel
emissions are completely eliminated when the hybrid truck operates equipment
(such as overhead utility booms) solely on the truck’s battery power,
instead of allowing the engine to idle.
Navistar also partnered with the EPA, the U.S. Army, UPS and Eaton
Corporation to develop the first-ever series of diesel hydraulic hybrid urban delivery vehicles. Last year, Navistar received the 2007 Blue Sky Award from WestStart-CALSTART, the nation’s leading advanced transportation technology organization, for its contributions to the commercial development of diesel hybrid technology.
Environmental product: Hybrid trucks
Fuel savings: Nearly 1,000 gallons annually per truck
Financial savings: Nearly $4,000 per truck annually (The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also provides tax credits for hybrid commercial trucks of up to $12,000per unit)
Environmental advantage: Lowered fuel use, elimination of greenhouse gasemissions (in idle mode)