Alternative-fuel technology company, ROUSH CleanTech, has developed the first available propane autogas engine certified to California Air Resources Board’s optional low oxides of nitrogen emissions standard for heavy-duty engines with 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr). The engine is 90 percent cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency’s most stringent 0.2 g/bhp-hr heavy-duty engine standard.
“Last year, we introduced a propane autogas engine that was 75 percent cleaner than the EPA’s emissions standard. But, we knew our next challenge was to meet CARB’s lowest NOx standard at 0.02 g/bhp-hr,” said Todd Mouw, president of ROUSH CleanTech. “Our newest propane autogas engine reinforces ROUSH CleanTech’s commitment to provide vehicle solutions that reduce the impact to the environment while leveraging an abundant, domestically produced fuel that costs less than diesel.”
NOx emissions are regulated under federal air quality standards because they are known to be harmful to human health and to the environment, contributing to regional ozone attainment challenges, smog and other air-quality issues. Heavy-duty diesel trucks are the single largest source of NOx emissions, contributing to smog in a majority of the nation’s most populated urban regions. According to the EPA, operating vehicles with ultra-low emission engines can make significant improvements to regional air quality and reduce a wide variety of human health impacts.
