ENGINES, ALGAE, & SCOTCH

December 17, 2008 Vol. 4, No. 26

These days it's hard to see through the haze of economic woe -- and those nasty visions of a later retirement than I'd been hoping for, like 3 decades later -- but I take real solace in the fact that there's still a ton of stuff to watch on the product front. When you're a gearhead like me, and presumably like most of you, the world can collapse in a heap but you've always got widgets and gizmology to keep you smiling. That and a bottle of Laphroiag, preferably full.

So what have I been watching in the last couple of weeks? Well, it wasn't so much watching as listening, but I had dinner with a few of my favorite Cummins people visiting from Indiana, and we had a great off-the-record chat about, oddly enough, engines. I learned some interesting stuff about 2010 but like I said, it was off the record. Still, I'm smarter than I was before that dinner, and you'll reap benefits from that as I write about '010 motors in the future. That's how this writing gig goes -- you learn lots of little things, and some big ones too, and gradually you get a progressively better grasp of the whole picture.

I also hit the streets of Long Beach, California since my last missive, where I was somewhat confused. Sitting on the balcony outside my downtown hotel room, I heard the pleasing sounds of Christmas carols wafting up three floors from the lobby. But I was also hearing young folk in shorts and t-shirts clattering by on their skateboards. The two sounds didn't mix. I tried to imagine colored lights strung around the tall palm tree that finished its climb to the sky right at my third-floor level, but that didn't work either. How can people possibly celebrate Christmas in such a place?

In fact, I was there to hear Daimler Trucks North America -- and any number of state and local officials -- wax poetic about the delivery of 132 Sterling Set-Back 113 tractors for use at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The trucks are powered by Cummins Westport ISL G engines running on natural gas, and they promise to do wonders in terms of emissions.

Ironically, it was the Sterling brand's last hurrah as DTNA prepares to shut down that subsidiary next March. The company is engineering a replacement for these port trucks by way of the Freightliner Business Class M2 112 natural gas tractor. It too will be powered by the 8.9-liter Cummins Westport ISL G, which is 2010-compliant now.

These trucks produce virtually no emissions of sulfur dioxide or particulate matter and far lower levels of greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxides than ’07 models. The ISL G features a maintenance-free exhaust system with a three-way catalyst -- they don’t have diesel particulate filters, so there’s no regeneration or periodic cleaning required.

The 100-truck balance of the Long Beach/Los Angeles order will be filled by the ultra-clean M2 112 by April of next year. The class 7/8 truck is useful in other applications as well, such as LTL/regional hauling, construction, and municipal services, among others.

The interesting part of this deal is that the trucks are going for a song to owner-operators contracted to California Cartage. They've been made available on a lease-to-own program – for little more than $300 a month – funded by $12 million in grants provided by the Environmental Protection Agency through the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

I'll confess to having had unkind thoughts -- unpublished thoughts, I hasten to add -- about the draconian mandate to replace older trucks at these California ports. The Clean Air Action Plan devised for the two ports is an aggressive piece of public policy that will see all 16,000 trucks serving the ports adhere to at least 2007 EPA standards by Dec. 31, 2010. Retrofitting the requisite emissions equipment is an option, but at a cost of US$35,000, it’s unlikely that anyone will take that route.

Public funding is required here because a big percentage of those older trucks are really old. Like ancient. Given the slim margins inherent in such work, many owner-operators serving the ports run pre-1989 tractors and couldn’t possibly replace them with newer, cleaner vehicles without financial assistance of some sort. Each tractor will reduce the use of imported oil by 500 barrels per year, by the way.

And being in the L.A. area again, I was reminded just how bad the air is out there. Through the ever-present haze, you can still only barely see the mountains not very far to the east, and it was like that 20 years ago. Cleaner trucks will solve only a tiny part of the problem, but I guess every little bit helps.

LET ME MOVE ON BUT STICK WITH ENGINES, and 2010 diesels in particular. The on-going battle for your affections by the two technology camps -- EGR and SCR -- won't go away any time soon, with Mack and Volvo firing salvos today.

Here's what Mack had to say in a press release responding to the EPA's refusal of Navistar International's recent suggestion that the manufacture of 2007-spec engines be allowed beyond the Jan. 1, 2010 deadline.

"Mack Trucks, Inc. welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent affirmation of its intention to implement the 2010 diesel emissions regulations as planned.

"The development and testing of Mack's SCR 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 CEO. “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 (www.mackscr.com) that includes a discussion forum called “Talking SCR” to help customers learn more about an already widely utilized and accepted global technology."

And sister company Volvo chimed in this way:

“EPA has clearly stated that it has no intention of changing the 2010 timetable, and it’s counter-productive and misleading to suggest that the agency might change its mind in the 11th hour,” said Per Carlsson, president and CEO of Volvo Trucks North America. “Our focus should be on moving forward – making the industry’s transition to 2010 as smooth, efficient and uneventful as possible. That’s the only way to provide a significant benefit both to customers and the environment.”

“Volvo Trucks is fully prepared to meet these regulations on time, and with the same engine we’re offering today,” Carlsson added. “Beyond allowing us to deliver the cleanest diesel engines in the world, our proven SCR technology will provide customers with significantly improved fuel economy.”

Navistar, of course, is the lone waver of the EGR flag for 2010, all others having opted for SCR. Recently Hino added its voice to the choir, announcing that it too will use SCR to meet the stringent 2010 emissions regulations.

The infrastructure to distribute diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) is rapidly being established, said Hino, adding that it will be available through all 180 Hino dealers.

"DEF will be readily available for our customers," said Nick Vermet, Hino's senior vice president, sales and customer support. "Because most medium-duty trucks come back to a single domicile every night, we do not see the availability or the maintaining of the appropriate level of DEF in the trucks to be an issue."

Nuff said on that one.

AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH BIODIESEL? I haven't written much about the fuel I like least lately, but there's never any shortage of news about it.

A couple of days back, for example, the Alberta government unveiled its new energy strategy, which included a timeline for "renewable content" in the province’s fuel supply. And it's calling for 5% ethanol in gasoline and a 2% renewable ratio in diesel by 2010.

The province expects to reduce CO2 emissions by about a million tonnes annually by these means, and says this move will support its renewable fuels sector and specifically the development of next-generation biofuels. They're OK in my books, by the way. It's the present variation on the biofuel theme that I don't much like -- because it's expensive to make and diverts crops from the food supply, in a nutshell.

Federally, there' also a mandate for 5% renewable content in gasoline by 2010, but the 2% renewable content in diesel and home heating fuel won't be required until 2012. In B.C., diesel will need at least 5% renewable content by 2010. AND HOW ABOUT THIS ONE? Continental Airlines is about to do a test flight using biofuel made from jatropha and algae. Fear not, there won't be any passengers. The airlines consider the use of biofuels a key strategy because fuel represents two thirds of their expenses.

The Continental flight is a first on this side of the pond, but Virgin Atlantic flew Boeing 747 flew from London to Amsterdam last February using a mix of coconut-based biofuel and ordinary jet fuel.

The jatropha plant, sometimes a shrub or tree, is seen by many as a prime candidate for new-wave biofuel production. It's very resistant to drought and pests, says Wikipedia, and its seeds contain up to 40% oil. When the seeds are crushed and processed, the resulting oil can be used in a standard diesel engine.

Cool.

And that's it for this edition of Product Watch. It remains only to wish you a Merry Christmas. Or a happy holiday, if you insist. Whatever, take a break and recharge your batteries. I'll see you again with another newsletter on New Year's Eve, but don't expect it to be particularly insightful. The bottle of Laphroiag will be empty by then.

This newsletter is published every two weeks. It's a heads-up notice about what's going on with trucking technology as well as what you can see at www.todaystrucking.com where you'll find in-detail coverage of nearly everything that's new. Plus interesting products that may not have had the 'air play' they deserved within the last few months. Why not subscribe today?

And while you’re there at todaystrucking.com, check out the Decision Centers. They’re essentially libraries on specific subjects like Engines or Braking Systems. We’ve gathered all manner of information from maintenance manuals to research reports to help you make informed decisions about spec’ing, operating, and maintaining trucks and truck systems.

I should remind you that I don’t endorse any of the products I write about in this e-newsletter, nor do I have the resources to test them. What you’re getting is reasonably well educated opinion based on three decades in trucking. And in the case of the individual product items, I’m presenting simple news from the manufacturer or service provider, with the hyperbole removed and clarification applied.

If you have comments of whatever sort about Product Watch, or maybe a gizmo I should know about, please contact me at rlockwood@newcom.ca.

BEARINGS, SEALS

(December 17, 2008) -- SKF's new catalog for light/medium-duty applications

LIGHTER AIR DISC

(December 17, 2008) -- New Haldex ModulX DB22LT is offered on Hendrickson axles

MIDRANGE CREW CAB

(December 03, 2008) -- Kenworth offers aftermarket crew-cab conversion for medium-duty trucks

ROLL STABILITY

(December 03, 2008) -- Haldex Trailer Roll Stability System adds diagnostics and communication tools

SMART AUTOMATICS

(December 03, 2008) -- Allison introduces prognostic features on 2009 models