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A new report from Energy Vision, a New York-based sustainability nongovernmental organization, has found that trucks powered by renewable natural gas (RNG) are the best option for replacing aging heavy-duty diesel trucks.
The report, “A Path to a Healthier America: Ditching Old Diesel Trucks,” assesses three non-petroleum alternatives to replace heavy-duty diesel trucks built prior to 2013. Diesel trucks contribute heavily to emissions, and 2.4 million of them are still in operation across the U.S., Energy Vision says.
The report evaluates nonfossil fuel replacement technologies including renewable diesel made from vegetable oils and animal fats, battery electric vehicles (EVs) and compressed natural gas trucks running on RNG made from organic waste. The technologies were evaluated for health benefits, costs, commercial availability, performance and greenhouse gas reductions. Based on all of these factors, RNG emerged as the overall winner, according to the report.
Fleet operators have several non-fossil fuel options for replacing old diesel trucks as they age out, the report says. The lowest-cost option would be buying new diesel vehicles, which require no infrastructure changes, and running them on renewable diesel fuel. Choosing this option offers 66 percent of the health benefits of switching to EVs without incurring major up-front costs associated with heavy-duty electric trucks. Depending on the feedstock, running trucks on renewable diesel can reduce life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86 percent compared to fossil diesel.
Heavy-duty electric trucks are the most expensive way to replace heavy-duty diesel trucks, according to the report. EVs typically cost about $250,000 more than diesel models. Drawbacks to EV performance can include limited range, reduced cargo capacity and hours of downtime required for charging, the report says. While EVs have zero tailpipe emissions, the power grid charging their batteries does still run on fossil fuels, according to the report.
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Compressed natural gas trucks running on RNG were found to be widely available, making them a practical option for large-scale replacement of diesel vehicles. Trucks running on RNG offer 88 percent of the health benefits of comparable EV options and potentially the lowest life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of other replacement technology, the report says.
While RNG-powered trucks are $35,000 to $75,000 more expensive than new diesel models, the increased cost is offset by fuel cost savings, the report says. Energy Vision found that if fleet owners replace the 130,000 old diesel trucks in the study cohort with RNG trucks, it would collectively save at least $680 million in fuel costs per year compared to diesel, based on historical average prices. RNG-powered trucks have comparable maintenance costs to renewable diesel-powered trucks, according to the report.
“RNG is in the sweet spot for replacing the oldest, dirtiest diesel trucks,” says Michael Lerner, Energy Vision’s director of research and publications, and lead author of the report. “This study found RNG trucks can have the greatest climate benefits, and their toxic air pollutant emissions reductions are almost as deep as EVs. But they cost far less, perform better and are widely available now using existing infrastructure. RNG is also much more cost-effective than renewable diesel based on lifetime public health benefits and fuel savings, even with their slightly higher purchasing premium. In the heavy transport sector, the smart money should be on RNG.”
Using RNG fuel can also ameliorate climate change in other ways, according to the report. Producing RNG turns organic waste into valuable sources of clean energy rather than discarding them into landfills, where they can generate methane.
