Leading Manufacturers Outline Major Advancements in Clean Diesel

New diesel construction and farm equipment has near-zero emissions with benefit of increased efficiency

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Developing and manufacturing the most advanced clean diesel technology to meet 2014 EPA standards for construction, industrial and farm equipment was a complex and challenging process, according to several leading manufacturers exhibiting at the CONEXPO CON/AGG 2014 convention this week.

The end result has been advanced diesel engines and equipment in several hundred different off-road machines – from massive bulldozers to farm tractors to lawn mowers - that have near zero emissions under EPA’s Tier 4 Final standards which became mandatory this year. In addition, the diesel manufacturers were able to achieve the lower emission standards while also improving engine efficiency.

“Above all else this is about cleaner air and making more efficient machines which is greater for everybody,” said Brad Stemper, the Solutions Brand Marketing Manager for CASE Construction Equipment.

Wide Array of Engines and Equipment Add Complexity

Because a majority of all construction and agricultural equipment is diesel-powered, this new generation of Tier 4 final clean diesel technology being unveiled at the convention will power the future of these two vital sectors of the economy, said Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

Video: How New Clean Diesels, Alt Fuels Affect Construction

Achieving Tier 4 Final standards was especially challenging because of the wide array of engines and equipment covered under the regulations.

“We have probably 300 different machine models we have to deal with,” said Doug Mihelick, the Technical Sales Manager for the Engine Division at Caterpillar. “But when we talk about delivering industrial engines to the industrial engine market there could be another 500 or 600 different applications in the industrial engine business that we need to satisfy, work with, help the OEM install those engines in their products, and so this has reached out to many, many different industries in North America.”

“Tier 4 to us is not just an emissions standard but rather a motivation to improve the technology, improve the value of our engines that they bring to customers, not just emissions but also fuel economy, features of the engine, performance of the engine to really improve upon our portfolio,” said Scott Woodruff, the Director of Industrial Sales for MTU America Inc.

The Diesel Technology Forum has produced a video that includes interviews with leading industry manufacturers who discuss some of the challenges industry overcame to reach the Tier 4 Final standards. It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PbFQg8epXRE.

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