Full Title: A Path to a Healthier America: Ditching Old Diesel Trucks
Author(s): Michael S. Lerner
Publisher(s): Energy Vision
Publication Date: March 19, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
This Energy Vision report looked at 31 of the most populous counties in the U.S. – including the 10 largest metropolitan areas – and how to replace the oldest 20% of the heavy-duty diesel trucks still in operation there: 130,000 highly polluting vehicles built prior to 2013.
Diesel is the most polluting vehicle fuel on U.S. roadways. Diesel exhaust contains carcinogenic particulate matter and other harmful chemicals that contribute to smog, haze, and acid rain. It poses a major ongoing health risk to the 77 million residents of these 31 counties, including the 16.7 million children whose health is most sensitive to diesel fumes. Heavy-duty diesel trucks built prior to 2013 have the worst emissions of all, yet they’re still widely in use on U.S. roadways.
This study analyzed in detail the health benefits, costs, commercial availability, and performance of three cleaner non-fossil-fuel options to replace the 130,000 oldest heavy-duty diesel vehicles in these counties: 1) new diesel models running on renewable diesel (RD), typically made from vegetable oil; 2) new compressed natural gas models running on renewable natural gas (RNG) sourced from organic waste; and 3) new battery electric vehicles (EVs).
The findings show new RNG models to be the overall winner with massive reductions in air pollutants as well as being affordable, high-performing, and widely available today.