The California Air Resources Board (ARB/Board) announces the
release of the draft document "Technology Assessment:
Engine/Powerplant and Drivetrain Optimization and Vehicle
Efficiency." This draft technology assessment identifies engine
and vehicle technologies that can reduce fuel consumption and
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Class 2b through Class 8
heavy-duty vehicles (gross vehicle weight of 8,501 pounds and
up)
Sources of information used in the draft assessment include an
extensive list of published reports, research papers, and
documented conversations with technology experts. The
technologies summarized in the draft assessment are separated
into two categories: 1) engine/powerplant and drivetrain
optimization technologies, and 2) vehicle and trailer efficiency
technologies.
The draft technology assessment can be viewed and downloaded from
the ARB's technology and fuels assessment webpage at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/tech/tech.htm
We encourage interested parties to submit comments on the draft
technology assessment through the technology and fuels assessment
web page for public comments at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/tech/techreport/comments.htm. We
request to receive comments within 30 days of the posting of this
draft assessment, if possible.
If you have questions regarding the draft technology assessment,
please contact Mr. Alex Santos, Staff Air Pollution Specialist,
at 626-575-6682, or at Alexander.Santos@arb.ca.gov.
On April 22, 2015, ARB held a symposium on California's
development of its Phase 2 GHG emission standards for on-road
medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which included discussion of the
draft technology assessment. Representatives from government
agencies, engine and vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers,
environmental policy and technical research organizations, and
trucking fleets discussed strategies and technologies available
to reduce GHG emissions. A summary of the symposium is now
available at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onroad/caphase2ghg/caphase2ghg.htm.
Background: As a leader in climate action, California is
committed to reducing GHG emissions, and has in place a unique
set of climate goals to ensure measurable progress:
• Reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020
• Achieve a 40 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990
levels by 2030
• Achieve an 80 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990
levels by 2050
• Reduce petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent by
2030
• Produce at least 50 percent of electricity from renewable
sources by 2030
Heavy-duty vehicles greater than 8,500 pounds emit about a fifth
of the total GHG emissions associated with transportation sources
in the State, which is about 8 percent of the statewide total.
Because trucking emissions are such a significant source of GHG
emissions, achieving reductions within the trucking sector is a
key component in the strategy to meet California's climate
goals.
At the national level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly adopted GHG
emission standards and fuel economy standards for medium- and
heavy-duty engines and vehicles in 2011. Informally known as the
"Phase 1" GHG regulations, these regulations established national
GHG emission standards for heavy-duty on-road trucks. These
regulations phase in between 2014 and 2019. In 2013, ARB
approved California regulations nearly identical to the federal
Phase 1 regulations. This action provided California with the
ability to certify engines and vehicles to the new standards, as
well as to enforce them.
ARB has closely coordinated with U.S. EPA and NHTSA to develop
the technical analyses that inform the stringency of the next
round of heavy-duty GHG regulations, known as "Phase 2." Phase 2
GHG regulations will establish post- 2018 GHG emission standards
based on the implementation of new and advanced cost-effective
control technologies. U.S. EPA and NHTSA are expected to release
the federal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Phase 2 GHG
standards later this June. Upon federal adoption of the Phase 2
standards, ARB staff plans to present a proposed California Phase
2 program to the Board, most likely in late 2016 or early 2017.
After staff has had the opportunity to conduct a thorough
evaluation of the federal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the
Phase 2 GHG standards, ARB will determine if California's
proposal will need to include provisions that go further than the
federal program in order to meet California's unique climate and
air quality goals.
The draft technology assessment evaluates the fuel consumption
reduction potential of various technologies that can be installed
on heavy-duty trucks to improve fuel efficiency and are the same
technologies evaluated by U.S. EPA and NHTSA as part of the
federal Phase 2 regulatory development process.
The technology assessments were prepared by staff from ARB, along
with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)
staff. They were discussed at workshops in September 2014 and at
the December 2014 ARB board meeting. More information on the
assessments is available at ARB's website at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/tech/tech.htm . An overview of the
technology assessments was released in April 2014 and is
available on ARB's website at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/tech/report.htm.
For more information on the federal and California Phase 2
program, please visit ARB's website at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onroad/caphase2ghg/caphase2ghg.htm.
California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.
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The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian
needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For
a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy
costs, visit the Flex Alert website at www.flexalert.org .
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