Letter to Editor
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Is Euro 5 acceptance an example for US?
Dear Editor:
Your article “A good-bye to pre-buy” (TBB November 2007), was very well-written and enjoyable to read.
My understanding is that Europe and North American exhaust gas regulations become basically the same in 2010; ie, Euro 5 = 2010 engine.
My suppliers are telling me about — and I'm watching — the large fleets avoiding'07 trucks like the plague, with 2007 Class 8 production numbers predicted to be down 50% by year-end. But yet I'm left thinking how much these trucking companies are going to be wishing for, and paying a premium for, these very same, currently heavily discounted trucks in 2009!
My knowledge of European SCR is it's an extra hassle and cost. Yes, some United States manufacturers are announcing that they can meet 2010 with EGR (nothing new, same as in Europe). But with the extra level of EGR, this will clearly carry a fuel economy penalty not good with our current escalation of fuel prices. Therefore I believe SCR will be the winning technology here, just as in Europe.
Many companies in Europe are already taking Euro 5 due to the tax incentives. Maybe the US government should also copy this from Europe; it would flatten the supply and demand curve a little.
Gareth Macklam
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co
Phone: (626) 965-1541 Direct line: (626) 854-7250
