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Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) member companies recognize the benefits of decarbonizing and reducing greenhouse gasses (GHG) for the betterment of society as they work to produce the equipment that builds, powers and feeds the world.
For decades, AEM members and their industry peers have invested heavily in powertrain improvements, new technologies and emissions reductions to enhance the environmental profile of their products,” said John Somers, AEM vice president of construction & utility sectors. “Equipment manufacturers are committed to continually reducing our carbon footprint, but our industry needs policymakers to understand the cost, effort, in-field challenges and time involved in doing so.”
Somers’ comments, and that statement, sum up the impetus behind a recently released AEM position paper detailing recommendations and outlining solutions for policymakers focused on equipment manufacturers’ efforts to adopt alternative power technologies.
The paper, entitled Moving Forward with Alternative Power: Understanding the Opportunities and Risks for the Non-road Equipment Industry, aims to educate key stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities facing equipment OEMs and component suppliers as they work to meet future market demands while taking steps toward decarbonizing the industry.
“While the industry is dedicated to continuing its march toward reducing its carbon footprint, it is critical for policymakers to understand just how much is invested in terms of cost, time, and effort to decarbonize and reduce the impact of GHG emissions,” the paper’s summary noted.
“Decarbonizing the industry is poised to take years of technology advancements, research investments, customer acceptance, and infrastructure investments,” it added. “Each requires committed resources from industry, friendly policy decisions from government, and growing customer demand.”
Among the recommendations from AEM and its members are the following:
The Future of Power
For AEM’s member companies, powertrains are among the most crucial component systems in non-road equipment, impacting various aspects of the machine including performance, safety and cost. Manufacturers have long invested heavily in powertrain improvements, new technologies and emissions reductions. These investments have enhanced the environmental profile of their products, with each incremental improvement having been the result of both significant effort and ingenuity.
As the industry continues to invest its resources into new alternative power technologies, a variety of energy types may be deployed:
Biofuel
There are a wide range of fuels derived from biological feedstocks, including ethanol, biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). These fuels are generally intended to provide energy through internal combustion engines (ICEs). Equipment powered by biofuels will produce emissions similar to those powered by fossil fuels at the point of use. Net emissions from using biofuels as an energy carrier will depend on the fuel’s production method and energy input source — fossil fuel versus wind, solar or nuclear. However, net emissions of carbon dioxide can approach zero depending on the source of those energy inputs.
Engines using certain biofuels require engineering modifications unless the biofuels are blended in low concentrations with conventional fossil fuels. Examples are E10, a gasoline blend with 10% ethanol, and B20, a diesel fuel blend with 20% biodiesel. Other biofuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) are similar enough to fossil fuels that they offer the possibility of use in most unmodified ICEs.
Due to the energy density of biofuels, equipment using them as energy carriers are well suited for jobs that have severe duty cycles and those that are a significant distance from energy infrastructure.
Battery Electric
Battery power produces little to no emissions at the point of use, with the net GHG emissions dependent on the generation method of recharge, (i.e. fossil fuel versus wind, solar or nuclear). Due to the limited energy storage capacity of modern battery technologies, especially when compared to diesel and gasoline fuels (roughly equivalent to 5% in a similar volume comparison), their adoption in non-road equipment will likely remain limited to jobs with light duty cycle requirements and flexible time demands during recharging periods, either at a home base or a jobsite charging station.
Mainline Electric
Similar to battery technology, equipment powered by the grid produces no GHG emissions at the point of use, with net emissions dependent on the method of generation. This type of energy is best suited for long-term or permanent jobsites that allow installation of power infrastructure and equipment that is static or near static while in operation.
Under most circumstances the increased efficiency of variable speed electric drives reduces the energy consumption, and therefore the total GHG emissions of the machine when compared to hydraulic motors. However, these efficiency improvements depend greatly on the generator’s energy source, as using fossil fuel would likely cause substantial increases to GHG emissions when compared to renewables.
Hydrogen
The use of hydrogen as an energy source eliminates most regulated exhaust emissions as well as carbon dioxide at the point of use. However, the combustion process still produces oxides of nitrogen, possibly requiring exhaust after-treatment for the machine. Furthermore, the common feedstocks for hydrogen production are water or natural gas. Net emissions from the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier depend on its production method and the energy input source, fossil fuel versus wind, solar or nuclear.
The use of hydrogen fuel cells eliminates all emissions at the point of use so hydrogen presents many interesting advantages for non-road equipment, but to implement this technology successfully and safely in the non-road sector, industry will need to solve several real-world challenges prior to its adoption. For instance, to maintain energy density, hydrogen is stored at pressures requiring the use of pressure vessels and pressure regulating systems at fueling stations, for transport (i.e., via truck), and on equipment powered by hydrogen.
When stored under pressure, hydrogen contains about 12% of the energy stored in a similar volume of diesel fuel. Therefore, its best use would likely be on jobs that create a light duty cycle or that require the equipment to remain static, or near static, while working.
Supporting Common Goals
“AEM believes collaboration between policymakers and our industry can deliver future environmental benefits for all,” said AEM Senior Director of Safety & Product Leadership Jason Malcore. “And, as the industry continues to invest its resources into new alternative power technologies, we hope this position paper can lead to future conversations and collaborations in support of common goals.”
