EDITORIAL
4 June 2019 TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
EDITORIAL
Bill Visnic
Editorial Director
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Ryan Gehm
Editor-in-Chief
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Lindsay Brooke
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Jennifer Shuttleworth
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Lisa Arrigo
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[email protected]Diesel’s doing just fine, thank you
Alternative propulsion features promi-
nently in this issue, starting from the cov-
er shot of Nikola’s sleek fuel-cell electric
Class 8 tractor, the Two, and continuing
into the annual Executive Viewpoints se-
ries of articles, in which experts discuss
the challenges and opportunities in a
range of technology areas, including bio-
methane and hybrid power systems.
Hydrogen as an alt fuel is gaining
momentum, particularly for long-haul
trucking applications. As CEO Trevor
Milton said during the Nikola World ex-
travaganza in April, “We need to be
able to go long distances. That’s where
hydrogen really shines,” (see pg. 24).
And it’s not just starry-eyed start-ups
pursuing the hydrogen path. Toyota has
spent two decades developing and re-
fining the fuel-cell technology for its
Mirai passenger car, and the engineer-
ing team responsible for the company’s
heavy-duty hydrogen truck saw no rea-
son to forsake that expertise.
“We spent 20 years of quality devel-
opment on the Mirai, so I can steal what
[that] team did” to get to market faster,
said Toyota senior executive engineer
Takehito Yokoo, (see pg. 33).
The off-highway industry is getting in
on the act, too. Though CNH Industrial’s
CEO Hubertus Mühlhäuser espouses
LNG and biomethane for its current and
near-future propulsion plans—for both
on- and off-highway applications—he
believes that fuel-cell electric is a viable
alternative in the long run, (see pg. 16).
“You’re going to see electrification
coming for sure on the compact equip-
ment, but for the heavy-duty applications
we see not battery-powered electric, we
see fuel-cell electric,” said Mühlhäuser.
But he cautioned that fuel cells are likely
six to eight years out yet. “Technically, we
have a solution. The problem is the eco-
nomic benefit right now is not there, be-
cause of the cost of hydrogen.”
Hybridization of the powertrain was
front and center at Perkins’ booth at
the recent bauma trade show, (see pg.
18). The engine maker highlighted three
different hybrid configurations—a hy-
draulic hybrid, a mechanical hybrid and
an electric hybrid—and interest was
high, according to product marketing
executive Oliver Lythgoe.
But of course, these architectures do
not eliminate the diesel engine. All three
solutions are based on the Perkins Syncro
2.8-L Stage V engine, a relatively recent
clean-sheet design that runs cleaner and
quieter than previous models.
Improving diesel engine technologies
so heavy-duty commercial trucks can
meet even-stricter NOx emissions levels
is at the heart of the EPA’s new Cleaner
Trucks Initiative. “One of the goals...is to
reduce NOx emissions under the major-
ity, or even all, of the in-use operating
cases,” including idle, low-load, start and
stop, and creep/crawl operations, said
EPA’s William Charmley, (see pg. 14).
Technology improvements he points to
include improved catalysts, better under-
standing of how to calibrate engines, and
even some new technologies used in light-
duty today, like cylinder deactivation.
Thirty-six percent of all commercial
diesel trucks on U.S. roads are now
powered by the newest generation of
diesel technologies, according to the
Diesel Technology Forum (DTF).
“Forecasters seem to agree that, for
the next 5 to 15 years and beyond, diesel
will remain the primary technology for
commercial trucking,” DTF executive
director Allen Schaeffer said at a recent
Fuels Institute meeting.
He acknowledges that all-electric,
hybrid and hydrogen technologies will
make some inroads in niche fleets and
operations. “It’s safe to say we’ll also
see an increasing use of biodiesel and
renewable diesel fuels, as well as the
next generation of diesel that is even
nearer-to-zero emissions,” he added.
Near zero also happens to be the
likelihood that engine manufacturers
will abandon diesel and concede the
future to alt-propulsion challengers.
Actually, make that zero.
Ryan Gehm, Editor-in-Chief