Trucking groups slam 'challenging' new EPA rule that slashes truck emissions limits
Author: Jason Cannon
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on December 20. 2022 updated emission standards for heavy-duty commercial vehicles for the 2027 model year, tightening tailpipe NOx limits to a level 80%-plus below the current standard and reducing the particulate matter limit by 50%. The new standards require heavy-duty commercial vehicles to limit nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to 0.035 grams per horsepower-hour during normal operation, 0.050 grams at low load, and 10.0 grams at idle, and will also increase the useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5 to 2.5 times and yield emissions warranties that are 2.8 to 4.5 times longer – provisions that guarantee that as vehicles age, they will continue to meet EPA’s more stringent emissions standards for a longer period of time. EPA estimates that direct incremental manufacturing costs to meet the new regs – including the technology costs, plus some costs to improve the durability of the technology through regulatory useful life – to be just more than $2,300 for a heavy-duty diesel engine.