Is Diesel an Unfixable Climate Change Weasel

 

"Driving this vehicle today is actually less carbon intensive than a comparable electric-powered truck."                   Julie Blumreiter, ClearFlame co-founder and chief technology officer

News about trucks these days is mostly about caravans of angry drivers demanding an end to mask/vaccine mandates, a movement that began in Ottawa, Canada and migrated to a major US-Canadian border crossing point. Such dramatic events easily capture the headlines. But the bigger story has to be about the impact of these trucks on climate change, a story that easily slides under the radar. In the United States alone, according to TruckInfo.net, there are 15.5 million trucks operating (about 14% are long-haul drivers; 2 million trucks are tractor-trailers), with the vast majority using diesel fuel.

The US Energy Information Administration tells us: “Most of the products we use are transported by trucks and trains with diesel engines, and most construction, farming, and military vehicles and equipment also have diesel engines. As a transportation fuel, diesel fuel offers a wide range of performance, efficiency, and safety features. Diesel fuel also has a greater energy density than other liquid fuels, so it provides more useful energy per unit of volume.

“In 2020, distillate fuel consumption by the U.S. transportation sector, which is essentially diesel fuel, was about 44.61 billion gallons (1.06 billion barrels), an average of about 122 million gallons per day. This amount accounted for 77% of total U.S. distillate consumption, 16% of total U.S. petroleum consumption, and on an energy content basis, about 27% of total energy consumption by the U.S. transportation sector.” As much as getting rid of all the gas and diesel fueled vehicles would seriously result in a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we know that isn’t happening anytime soon.

If you have ever been trapped on the highway among and between a truck convoy, you are acutely aware of the smell of diesel-powered vehicles. Sure, more modern trucks are vastly less polluting, but there are so many existing diesel trucks on the road that they cannot be ignored. So, to put it mildly, we are heavily invested in old-world diesel transportation, and unless we can figure out how to contain their effluents, climate change will take a back seat. As we explore alternative fuels and power, there is a big question about how to handle the transition. Even when we apply new “electrical power” to trucking, range is a very limiting factor. But there is a solution: conversion of existing trucks – actually any engine that uses diesel – to plant-based biofuels, a process that can apply even to the largest vehicles (class 8 trucks, over 33 thousand pounds), and generates a 25% improved fuel operating cost efficiency over traditional diesel.

Adele Peters, writing for the February 10th FastCompany.com tells us: “The diesel big rig is starting to move into the carbon-free future: Electric semi trucks are already beginning to make deliveries around the country. But although they can work well for short trips—and Volvo’s newest electric semi will be able to travel up to 275 miles before charging—they still aren’t yet a viable alternative for the trucks that have to cross the country, which is how so much freight is moved. That’s why one startup is working on technology that can be put in use now: It tweaks diesel engines so they can use 100% renewable fuel, with no change in how the trucks run.

“[In tests with the largest trucks,]‘Rather than trying to design an entirely new engine from the ground up, we said, okay, what is the minimum subset of parts and components we could swap inside this engine to make it fundamentally fuel agnostic, and to switch to something cleaner?’ says BJ Johnson, CEO of the startup, called ClearFlame Engine Technologies, which recently raised $17 million from investors including Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures…

“There was ‘no loss of efficiency, no loss of power,’ says cofounder Julie Blumreiter, who began developing the technology with Johnson when both were studying at Stanford University. ‘It sounds the same. It is a diesel engine in every sense of the word besides the fuel you use.’ The key difference is the lack of pollution: Instead of black diesel smoke belching out of the tailpipe, the exhaust looks clear, and air pollution and climate emissions dramatically shrink.

“Ethanol, which is typically made from corn, still has a carbon footprint, including the climate impact of fertilizer used to grow the crop. But current lifecycle data suggests that pure ethanol emits around 45-50% less greenhouse gases than diesel. And because the electric grid is still shifting to renewable electricity, the startup claims that a truck running on 100% ethanol is actually cleaner, at the moment, than an electric truck.

“The technology insulates a diesel engine so it can run at a higher temperature, and alternative fuels like ethanol can ignite in the same way that diesel would. The converted engines can also use other fuels, such as fuels made from captured CO2. But right now, the startup is focused on ethanol, because it’s readily available and cheaper than diesel, so trucking companies and others that use diesel engines have an immediate incentive to switch. John Deere, another investor in the startup, could use the technology in farm or construction equipment. Diesel generators that are used for backup power could also convert their engines.”

The February 10th Progressive Farmer adds, “ClearFlame has been working with Cummins Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory to develop the technology. Johnson said diesel fleets would have the potential to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions and a $45,000 cost savings… All the while, the ClearFlame engine has 30% more torque than engines running on diesel…. 

“[Each year, the] diesel sector spends about $3.3 billion in aftertreatment [cleaning and optimizing devices, like catalytic converters that filter exhaust gases, to ensure the engines meet emission regulations]... Using ethanol in a diesel engine could save the sector $2.5 billion in aftertreatment costs, Johnson said… Johnson told ethanol industry representatives at the National Ethanol Conference in Houston in February 2020 the technology has the potential to create a large market for ethanol. He said even an optimistic 20% market penetration into the $231 billion heavy-duty diesel market would create 15 billion gallons of demand for ethanol per year.” Farmers would obviously benefit as providers of ethanol as well.

While the cost of converting a large diesel engine to accommodate biofuel (focusing on ethanol but allowing converted trucks to use most forms of biofuel as well), is not cheap – estimates run north of $9,000 – that cost is easily recaptured by the improved efficiencies, often within just one year of use. Given the clear economic incentive to truck owners, a low or no interest government loan for the conversion would seem the minimum we should do to accelerate this process.

I’m Peter Dekom, and it going to take a massive coordination of micro-steps from various energy-using sectors to effect the minimum we need to contain still-accelerating climate change.