International Council on Clean Transportation Testimony on Proposed Phase 2 Greenhouse 

Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty 

Engines and Vehicles 

August18, 2015 

Long Beach, California 

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to provide remarks on this very important rulemaking. 

I'm Ben Sharpe, with the International Council on Clean Transportation. We are a researcl1 

organization that is focused on providing technical information to support government decisionmaking on policies, like these Phase 2 regulations, for leading vehicle markets around the globe. I'll 

make brief comments for the ICCT about market conditions, the maximum feasible technology and 

its timing, and international implications related to the proposed rules. 

First, market conditions in the US freight trucking industry are preventing the uptake of available 

cost-effective efficiency technologies. There are substantial market barriers that impede the uptake 

of efficiency technology' 2

, and this regulation would solve such problems. 

Regarding the agencies' analysis on available and emerging efficiency technologies, we 

continue to be very grateful for the extensive information sharing and dedicated time from EPA and 

NHTSA staff. The agencies' work ethic, transparency, and public process are exemplary. The 

agencies have undoubtedly made a rule based on rigorous, state-of-the-art technology inputs from 

sound data and industry input. 

Based on several new technical ICCT research studies, I will make brief remarks on the timing of 

the technology deployment, as well as on full technology potential, especially in the engine area. In 

the agencies' analysis, the rule is largely predicated on well-understood, highly cost-effective 

technologies3

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4

. Tl1e technologies in the engine, powertrain, aerodynamics, and tire areas are 

exactly the ones that suppliers and vehicle manufacturers have been discussing for the rules' 

timeframe5

. The trailer technologies embrace the emerging technologies that have already been 

spurred by EPA's SmartWay program and California's in-use regulation6

. Due to the agencies' 

decisions to rely primarily on proven, available, and cost-effective technology choices, the agencies 

can sh1ft the standards 3 years earlier- from 2027 as proposed, forward to 2024. This would still 

' Ve1 non anci IV1&1f'l. 2012. /dentiftcfi!JOn and quantdtCAIJon of p!tncipal- agent problems affecting energy elfrcioncy rnvestments 

and use decif'ions m t/1e truckrnp rndustry Energy Polrcy 

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Roeth et at t 20 13). Barrrers to the met eased adoptiOn of fuel etfJCtcnq' tec/Jnologres rn 1t1e NoT th Amertcan on-Toad ftf!rght 

f.vclor http. 1\ Wl\". /heicct otg!lldv-tcc:hnofog}·-m,1f ket·bamers-north .,,merrca. 

M<'Sz/er et a/ (2015) Cost effectiveness of ad1'anced efftciency technologies follong-haultractor -ttallers rn the 20:?0- 2030 

111neft a me. http 1/\\ii\W theicct ory ·us tractor-trailer-tecil-cost-effccltvenC'ss 

$/Jarj>e el a/ (20 14 I Beneftt-cost anaf1·srs of mtugtalmp t1aile:rs rnlo heavy-duty n>/JtCic efftciency regula lion 

http 11 1• 11 1 ''- cct otg mtegrat ng-IT/!t'e' s-hdl·-regut.1/ton-beneftf-cost-,1natysis July. 

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http ~ \1 1\'W thetcct org stakeho/ae· ·l\ orJ..shop-ri.•pO!I·Iractor-tlall< r t•lfiCtt:!nCy-tP.Chnology-20 15-2030 

S.1lillf)t' anci Rr,e!/1 (2014). Costs clnd adoptiOn I <lit'S of fue/-Sa\'1/lg /{ cilnologies for /railetS in lilt Not til Amencan on-road 

tr <-'ig!Jt sector llttp.I '\\'\\W.thercct. org r.osts -and-arior>tron -rates-ftlel-sdvmg-traller -technolog1es. Feorttary. 
allow sufficient lead-time for the manufacturers and truck buyers to gradually incorporate the bulk of 

all the technologies into t11eir operations over t11e next nine years. 

We have noticed several areas where the agencies do not fully incorporate maximum feasible 

technology levels. One area is in engines, where the agencies proposed to reduce the tractor diesel 

engine fuel use by 4°{, from 2017 to 2027. Available technologies with payback periods comfortably 

less than 2 years can reduce new diesel tractor engine fuel use fleet-wide by up to 10% from 2017 

to 2027. based on our own technical analysis and the research literature789 10. With higher 

technology penetration rates for US DOE SuperTruck technologies, the standards could go further 

yet 71 . In addition, the proposed heavy-duty pickup and van, as well as gasoline efficiency, standards 

appear to fall significantly short in their promotion of the full technology potential

12 73

. 

With these two factors - inc r~o ing something closer to the maximum feasible technology 

potential and advancing the timing of the rule - there is a lot at stake. Based on our analysis, 

incrementally advancing the timing and modestly increasing the efficiency technology could result in 

30% greater climate benefits and over 300,000 barrels worth of oil savings per day by 2040. 

Making such changes would be equivalent to taking 13 million 30-mile-per-gallon cars off the road. 14 

Finally, this rulemaking is key in establishing the US as a global leader on freight truck efficiency. 

The governments of Canada, China, Europe, India, Japan, Mexico, and others are also considering 

their next policy actions to similarly ensure greater efficiency technology deployment for 

trucks 75•

76

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17. The world is watching, and potentially looking to adopt, similar policy. 

We provide references to the leading technical research that supports these statements, and we 

will, of course, elaborate on the points and submit all the new analysis in our detailed comments to 

the docket. 

Again, we thank the agencies for their exemplary public service. 

T/1iruvengadam eta/ (201-4) Heavy-duty ve/1ic /e diesel ongme efltctency e1'aluation and energy audtt. 

http · \l ll 'tl theicct.org lleai 'Y·duty-l·ehtcle-diesel-engmeefftctenq -et•alualton-and-energy-aur'tl 

Delgado and Lutser (2015) Ad1•anced !I actor-/tailer effic1enC1' technology potenttal m the 2020-2030 ttmeftame. 

hllp./1111111' theicct.org us·ttactor-ttatler-efflclency-technologr. 

' Rcm'lart (2015). Commerctal t.ofedi(lm· and Heavy-Duty Twck Fuel Effictency Tec/mo/ogr Study - Report :;2. Draft 

hiiJ.I' 'WI'.'I\ nhtsa flO\' stattCftfes n1lemakmg.pof Cafe Draft-SwRI-t.IDHD-FE-Tech Report: OocketVerSIOnpdt 

' ' Lursey (20 7 5 J. The e\'!?r·Jn1pt0\'lng eff1ciency of the d1esol engtne http l/\.-..··w ~\'. theJcct org Vlogs aff,e ~er-tmprovtny-effiCten y 

dtesel-engme 11 Delgado and Lutsey (20 14) Tile US. Supe1 T1 liCI. P1ogram. Expedttmg deveiOJ>mnnt nl ad•' anced HD V efficiency 

technologies. /Jttp.·ti\\'1\'t\· lhOI<Ct.org. iJs-supertrucA -progr am -e>.JICdttmg-aevelopmenl·adv<l '?Ced·hd~ -ellic,ency-technologtcs 

LliiSey (20 151. Regulato1y cons1detations lor advancing commotcial pickup and ttan etf•ctPncy technology m the Utlltecl Ste>tes 

hllp 1'1\'1', II' thetCCI Org tJS·C011ll1l£'1Cial·('tCilllf)S·I'?.n,o;, effiC!f.'?CJ lt:CIJnOIOgj 

Lutsey (2015) 1'\lhal do the nett twck 1egvlations mean for piCkups nttp \'.'\\ l'.'t.'lmcct org blog!' sWff .rhat-dc-ne11 -/ruck· 

tegulallons-mean-ptckuJIS 

Sharpe (2075). I'Vhnt 1S at stalin m t11e U.S. trucK eff1..:tency wle hltp It\\ 1w: tnetcct Otfl n1og . .:: :->tafflllhat-sta~e-us-:wck

elftctency-rule 

Sharp£' (2D15) Testmg metho,'ls fl)f heavy-duty t•ehtcle fuel c>lfiCtCnn' Ttc>nas at•d tmr' tCcttton~ tor lnclta 

hltp.hthercct 019 S•tes 'default ftles pub!!Caltons /CCT_HDV-te.c:tproceatues_lf'ldta_20 150-J:'O pdf 

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http lithetccr org.poltCtes ·I cdttCt' ·fUl >1-consumplton -all -pollutton -and ·Cdr bon -t:mtsstons 1 t ·lltCh 'S· g20·na /tons 1 Ttanspot tPv/ICf. ntt 12015.1 Global Companson: Heavy-dill\' Fuel Eclmomy and GHG 

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