April 30, 2008
Advancements Help Minimize the Environmental Impact of Trucks and Diesel Engines, According to Navistar
WARRENVILLE, IL – As the world becomes more vigilant and active about key environmental issues,
many industries have renewed commitments to green initiatives. According to
Navistar, one group that has been steadily improving the environmental
landscape is the commercial transportation industry. The industry has
traditionally been thought of as unfriendly to the environment, but new
technology has transformed many of today’s trucks and buses into environmentally
responsible forms of transportation.
Below is Navistar’s list of its products now helping to
green the vehicle industry:
American Idle — Do Trucks Really Need to Idle at Truck
Stops? The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that each year trucks use 10
percent of diesel fuel idling — costing nearly $10 billion annually and
emitting countless amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
However, new technology provides trucks the necessary in-cab
power without needing engines to idle. A MaxxPower auxiliary power unit (APU)
from Navistar provides truck drivers with a 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.
Are Semi-Trucks Fuel-Guzzlers? New advances in truck design
allow for more aerodynamic, fuel-efficient travel. The International ProStar
semi-truck achieved 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 1,300 gallons of fuel saved each year, per
truck. The ProStar and the new International LoneStar both feature aerodynamic
designs that make a difference both in reducing diesel fuel consumption as well
as lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
We Have Hybrid Cars, Why Not Hybrid Trucks? To date,
Navistar has built more than 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 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.
Aren’t Diesel Engines Smoky and Noisy? Today’s diesel
engines meet strict EPA emissions requirements. With diesel fuel, drivers can
get 40 percent more miles to the gallon than gasoline. Plus, diesel engines
burn cleaner due to reformulated diesel fuel introduced in 2007 called Ultra
Low-Sulfur Diesel.
In 2007, new diesel engines were introduced that eliminate
more than 90 percent of particulate and hydrocarbon emissions, leaving the
exhaust smokeless, odorless and much cleaner for the environment. In 2010,
diesel engines will be even cleaner, with aggressive, near-zero emissions
goals.
Navistar’s new MaxxForce mid-range diesel engines are 9-13
percent more fuel efficient. In fact, MaxxForce 7 and MaxxForce DT engines
include a fuel efficiency guarantee. If customers don’t experience improvement
in fuel economy over their previous engines, they are eligible to be refunded
the difference (up to $1,000).