Recently, the foreign media Equipment World launched a series of reports on Future Fuels, aiming to discuss the evolution of diesel fuel alternatives that construction equipment and manufacturers around the world are experiencing, including hybrid power, battery power, fuel cell, and hydrogen internal combustion engine and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. The following is the seventh report in a series.
Any European or American who has been exposed to heavy equipment in the past 15 years will remember the interruption and uncertainty caused by the mandatory switching of Tier4 Final diesel emission requirements. This scene is similar to China's transition to "National IV". The repeated delays during this period and the interests of all parties involved are hot and cold.
Although billions of dollars have been spent on R&D, many European and American OEM manufacturers have to pay fines for missing the deadline. For example, some engines failed, one company declared bankruptcy, and the diesel lubricating oil company changed the formula four times to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of new engines. Due to the tight execution time of Tier4 Final in Europe and America at that time, huge problems were brought to contractors and OEM manufacturers.
As we recorded in the article "Future Fuel Series", all parties are promoting low-carbon or net zero carbon equipment. Although there are no clear regulatory requirements for this technology at present, most practitioners believe that the "Tier 5" scenario is likely to occur in the future. It is never a bad thing to take precautions.
The Truth and Consequences of Net Zero Emissions
The OEM manufacturers of construction machinery have proved that they can manufacture machines with near zero CO2 emissions, but the process of manufacturing these equipment, the batteries needed and the equipment used to charge the batteries are not without "net zero emissions".
At least for cars, Tech Crunch, a newsletter, said that the road to an all electric future is uncertain: "More and more research shows that replacing traditional cars with electric vehicles extensively may have relatively small impact on the global environment, and may even result in increased emissions."
Just as some people question the sustainability of electrified buildings and transportation systems, others also question how much global warming can be tolerated, As reported by the New York Times: "Although some studies have shown that the global temperature will increase by 5 degrees Celsius, scientists now estimate that the earth is expected to warm by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. This difference may seem small, but it means fewer record breaking floods, droughts and heat waves, and may save thousands or millions of lives in the coming decades."
Judgment based on facts, not emotions
In view of these reasonable problems, before we "abandon" an energy source that has been used for a century, our government, engineers and scientists must do three things about technologies used to achieve net zero emissions:
1. When calculating all environmental inputs, is it better than the environment it replaces?
2. What is the right balance between economic and industrial disruption and environmental benefits?
3. What regulations and incentives can we develop to achieve these goals?
Heavy equipment OEM manufacturers have come up with some amazing solutions, as we documented in the "Future Fuel Series" article, and as you will see in equipment trade shows in the coming years. If these machines are to be mass produced and transferred from the exhibition site to the construction site, the heavy construction machinery industry needs to introduce corresponding regulations and policies to encourage green technology, such as some policies that will not bankrupt OEM manufacturers, contractors or end users.
Past solutions
Surprisingly, when you review it, some elements in EPA's Tier4 Final rules can provide a positive reference example for the future. In the old emissions plan, OEM manufacturers would get points if their engines could meet air quality standards ahead of time. The same thinking should apply to future greenhouse gas regulations. Diesel electric hybrid power equipment is here now, and they deserve to be recognized. Hydrogen internal combustion engines can be quickly commercialized because of their low manufacturing cost or impact. Although hydrogen fuel cell technology is expensive and challenging for some types of machines, if they have entered static applications such as generators, they should be noted on the merit book.
On the user side, California and other states with air quality problems have formulated regulations requiring contractors to use "best available technology" (or well-known BAT) to reduce emissions. This has prompted many people to upgrade to advanced emission systems to avoid the loss of competition against their peers.
In addition, groups such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) can develop a credit system for owners and developers of large projects, and they will include net zero or near net zero requirements in their plans and bidding documents.
By encouraging the adoption of these transitional technologies, the government can give the construction machinery industry time to address the challenges faced by batteries and renewable energy. This will also give them more time to create a better and more comprehensive cost and benefit model, so that we will not "rob Peter and pay Paul".
Next 100 years
Since the first discovery of crude oil in Pennsylvania, it took a century of development to create today's modern fossil fuel economy. Since then, because of the unique nature of oil, more people have been lifted out of poverty than in any other era in history.
What we need now is to prevent killing the geese that laid golden eggs for us. The government needs to make more reviews and make reasonable policy decisions based on more facts, rather than making hasty decisions like "Tier4 Final" and "Tier 5" for construction machinery practitioners under some other pressures.
To achieve net zero emissions (maybe 100 years later), much work still needs to be done, but the heavy equipment industry has made a good start.
Let's not mess up.
