The National Biodiesel Board believes major changes are in store for diesel vehicles.
During the NBB?s recent virtual convention, a seminar called ?The Changing Landscape for Diesel Vehicles? looked at the challenges diesel equipment manufacturers face regarding regulations for ultra-low emissions diesel engines.
Allen Schaeffer is Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. He says biomass-based diesel fuels will take on a larger role in carbon reduction strategies under the new Biden Administration.
?I would say the next four years are going to be some of the most consequential in history for setting the direction of future fuels and technologies in vehicles,? Schaeffer said. ?I think it?s incumbent upon all of us to make sure that diesel and renewable fuels are part of that story.?
?There are policies being formulated,? he continued, ?that will anticipate some technologies, incentivize some and maybe not others. I think the idea that near-term benefits in reducing carbon from the use of renewable fuels is really a very strong message and story. We intend to tell it.?
An NBB report says now is the time for ?OEMs and fleets across the country take a fresh look at the use of low-carbon biodiesel and renewable diesel to help reduce emissions in their new and legacy diesel vehicles and equipment and help to slow the progression of climate change.?
?When you combine these technologies ? the advanced diesel engines and biofuels together ? we have an unbeatable combination for the ability to deliver carbon reductions now,? Schaeffer said. ?We would say carbon reductions are needed now and I think that?s going to be a critical point to emphasize in the coming years. This speaks volumes to those that have been clamoring for aggressive action on climate policy. We have one of the solutions that must be considered.?
Three out of four trucks on the road today are powered by diesel powertrains, and 97 percent of the large over-the-road Class 8 truck are diesels.
