Good News Coming?
“The GHG targets are mainly carbon dioxide, but also methane and nitrous oxide. The thing is, when you cut CO2, you also increase fuel economy. Official projections tell us that Phase 1 will save 530 million barrels of oil, 270 million metric tons of GHGs, and $50 billion in fuel costs. Government projections being what they are, who knows how accurate those estimates might actually be, but for the first time in recorded history, the EPA and NHTSA are sort of your friends.
“Yes, as in the past, the cost of engines will rise, but this time there will be fuel savings to bring a fairly quick payback.
“The present 2014-2019 rules say that tractors must achieve as much as a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by 2017, a little more by 2019. Mixers, refuse haulers, and other vocational machines have to get to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption by 2017.”