Propane: A low cost, low emission solution for medium-duty trucks
Most of the focus at NACFE is on Class 8 heavy-duty trucks, and rightfully so, since these trucks consume the majority of the fuel used in trucking. However, we do not overlook medium-duty trucks—specifically Classes 4–7.
Medium-duty trucks still consume a significant amount of fuel. Some studies show the fuel consumed by medium-duty trucks is almost 25% of the total fuel consumed by large on-road trucks (e.g., Classes 4 to 8). Medium-duty trucks also run in cities where there is a lot of stop-and-go traffic and people. One study of line-haul trucks showed that trucks emit seven times more NOx than the 2010 standard in stop-and-go traffic. While the study was not conducted on medium-duty trucks, it is likely the same problem exists in the medium-duty sector. EPA27 regulations should help this, but it will come at a cost. Sales of medium-duty trucks are also significant.
