Phase 2 of the program would “significantly reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles, helping to address the challenges of global climate change and energy security,” according to the EPA.
The proposed standards will begin in model year 2018 for trailers and 2021 for tractors and culminate in vehicle-wide — engine, truck and trailer—standards for model year 2027 vehicles.
The EPA said the proposed plan will cut GHG emission by approximately 1 billion metric tons and conserve about 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold during the program.
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said the more stringent standards would result in a $10,000 to $12,000 increase in the cost of a new truck. Buyers, however, of a trucks in long-haul operations in 2027 would recoup the extra cost of the technology within two years through fuel savings. Phase 2 would save U.S. vehicle owners collectively about $170 billion in fuel costs over the lifetime of the vehicles sold between 2021 and 2027, according to a report from the agencies.
The American Trucking Associations weighed in on the issue Friday, supporting the direction the standards are going.
“Fuel is an enormous expense for our industry – and carbon emissions carry an enormous cost for our planet,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “That’s why our industry supported the Obama Administration’s historic first round of greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for medium and large trucks and why we support the aims of this second round of standards.”
