Mack Trucks Inc, Lehigh Valley PA, is welcoming the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent affirmation of its intention to implement the 2010 diesel emissions regulations as planned.
"The development and testing of Mack's SCR (selective catalytic reduction) solution for 2010 is in advanced stages and we are confident in our engines' enhanced performance, emission reduction, and fuel savings,” said Dennis Slagle, president and chief executive officer. “We found the recent dialogue around the proposal to delay implementation of 2010 to be an unproductive distraction and often misleading.
"We are anxious to reach out and provide customers with as much information as possible about SCR. For that reason, we have developed a special Web site, mackscr.com, that includes a discussion forum called Talking SCR to help customers learn more about an already widely utilized and accepted global technology."
Mack specifically addressed questions about the performance of SCR in very warm or cold regions. "It’s already being successfully used around the world by hundreds of thousands of trucks every day, including those in extreme operating conditions," said Slagle. "And it clearly works here in North America, as our test trucks have been demonstrating."
According to the Mack information, every US engine supplier but one has committed to using SCR technology to meet the new EPA’10 standards. The alternate approach involves a new and unfamiliar engine using very high levels of exhaust gas recirculation and requiring complex changes to cooling systems and other components, inherently lowering fuel efficiency.
The EPA’s commitment to the existing timetable is also important in safeguarding the development of a distribution network for the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) used in SCR. A broad industry coalition has been hard at work to establish this infrastructure, and significant investments have already been made in building this network and supplying it with necessary distribution equipment, according to Mack.
Mack said it has countered claims that DEF would be extremely expensive as well. Recent industry forums have placed the cost of a gallon of DEF at around $2.70, and Mack estimates only two or three gallons of DEF will be needed per every 100 gallons of diesel consumed.