A
t the start of March I will be packing my bags and heading to
Las Vegas along with about 130,000 other people from around
the world. This may sound like the preamble to some sort of
huge international Blackjack tournament, but the trip is actually for the
ConExpo-Con/Agg exhibition, which kicks off on March 4.
As has been the case for 15 years or so, many of the new machines at
the show are being launched in response to new exhaust emission laws
for off-highway diesel engines in the US, Europe and Japan. This time
around it is the US Tier 4 Final laws and their equivalents around the
world that are the driver.
They start to come into force this year, and the laws mean new
construction machines in these parts of the world must be fitted with
engines that are so clean that the exhaust gasses contain the same levels
of pollutants as the air in many cities. A few engine manufacturers say
that at Tier 4 Final levels their engines act as air cleaners in some places,
and they are not joking.
Achieving such standards has been a long road for the industry. It has
cost billions of Dollars for engine manufacturers to develop pollution
control technologies – many of which have come from the on-highway
sector – and adapt them to this industry. Then it has been the task
of construction equipment manufacturers to keep redesigning their
machines to accommodate these new engines with their additional bulk,
different cooling requirements and ever more complex sub-systems.
But the key word in the current round of legislation is ‘Final’. For
the moment at least it is the last piece of legislation on the horizon for
engine emissions. The future may see further laws come into force. In
Europe for example, a Stage V is mooted. More generally there is a talk
around the world of new systems to limit the number of very small
particles emitted by exhaust streams, as these are the most damaging to
health. There may also be legislation on CO
2
emissions for the industry
to get to grips with at some point in the future. But none of these issues
are imminent.
So what will engine and equipment manufacturers do now their R&D
departments are not so burdened with wave after wave of emissions
laws? The first answer is that many will cut their R&D spend – it has
been a long and expensive journey.
The second answer is that they will start to look at other areas. Fuel
economy is an issue that is not likely to go away and there may now be
more resources available in the industry to start tackling this issue. More
efficient engines could be the result, as could alternative approaches like
hybrids and even machines with different power sources.
New more efficient powertrain and hydraulic systems may also be
an area of research. Another angle is to find ways of integrating all the
systems on a machine much more closely, which may also deliver better
overall economy.
These are just a few of the areas the industry could start to head in now
it is freed from the burden of exhaust emissions legislation.
Chris Sleight
Editor
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(USPS No: 021-895)
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COMMENT
3
january-february 2014
international
construction
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