What do alternative fuel options and emissions regulations mean for construction contractors?

Our industry is hesitant to change, especially the move away from diesel combustion engines. Diesel does its job. Additionally, diesel engine manufacturers are working to improve efficiency and reduce emissions from diesel engines. While these diesel engine improvements are important to reducing emissions today, the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions regulations impose this problem on contractors who need to reduce their carbon footprint in the future.

What factors can help you make the transition? How will our industry evolve and what power sources will be ideal for your equipment and applications?

Optimized diesel and biodiesel engines

Any emissions reduction possible today is a viable option. We won’t just flip the switch and convert all existing and new equipment to zero-emission fuel. Diesel will be an option for years. However, looking at different engines for your equipment can help you immediately reduce your company’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“Diesel engine technology has advanced significantly through emissions reductions, engine component optimization, improvements in combustion technology and improved low-emission renewable fuels,” said Joel Honeyman, vice president of global innovation at Doosan Bobcat. “What’s particularly exciting about diesel engine developments is that we expect continued investment and improvements around this technology.”

Daniel Kakareka, construction product portfolio manager at New Holland Construction, agrees that optimized diesel engine power remains a short-term solution. “While advances in diesel engine technology are not as environmentally friendly as electric or hydrogen energy sources, they continue to improve fuel efficiency and emissions. Features such as selective catalytic reduction and particulate filters help reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions while meeting increasingly stringent regulatory standards.”

Battery improvements are making electric options more cost-effective, which will likely lead to more excavators, loaders and other electric machines hitting the market soon.New Holland designOptimized engines also consume less fuel and require less maintenance, while still being able to burn fuels other than diesel.

“The high power and torque means they can be used to replace larger displacement engines, improving efficiency and reducing overall operating costs without impacting productivity,” said Jeremy Harsin, director of off-highway marketing – EBU – at Cummins. “(They require) less fuel, less maintenance, lower emissions, greater reliability and greater capability. Operators of these engines can also use (HVO) as a replacement for traditional diesel fuel.”

Electric: short term for small to medium sized appliances

In the case of small and medium-sized machines, battery-electric power is used. According to Ray Gallant of Volvo Construction Equipment North America (Volvo CE) “in the short term… I think all the attention right now is on batteries and electrification.”

“Battery and related component costs are falling and charging times are increasing, which will provide customers with more options in the future,” Honeyman said.

This decline makes battery-electric equipment more profitable. Reduced maintenance on battery-electric equipment also reduces the total cost of ownership of these machines.

“We have (many) connected machines and applications that are starting to appear in the market or becoming more popular in the market. We have had connected machines for years, but they have been limited to very few applications. Now you’re starting to see them reach for more…apps.”

Connected equipment is popular in the EU and on its way to North America.Volvo CEWith grid-connected equipment, “you plug it directly into a power source, you basically plug it in and get electricity from the grid,” Gallant said.

He added that these machines can be equipped with a battery if contractors need that option. The equipment can even combine grid connection and diesel as a power source, offering hybrid flexibility.

The resource connected to the grid must be primarily stationary with current technology, such as an excavator performing material handling. However, Volvo considers the options of laying an overhead cable or a track on the ground.

Hydrogen and biodiesel

For larger equipment, electrical power is probably not an ideal solution. For this reason, manufacturers are designing powertrains that use hydrogen and other fuels that produce zero or significantly fewer emissions.

“We are working on new engine designs using hydrogen, methanol and other non-diesel fuels to support our customers,” said Paul Muller, senior engineering manager at Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems.

JCB focuses on hydrogen combustion engines.

“Investigate it JCB conducted in England showed that battery electric systems work well for excavators weighing up to 4 or 5 tons, but for machines larger than this value batteries are too expensive, too impractical or too heavy” – Lee Tice, JCB said the product manager. “To power heavier equipment, JCB is developing hydrogen engines and has built and tested a hydrogen-powered backhoe loader and telehandler.

Other engine manufacturers incl Cummins AND Caterpillar Industrial power systems have engines adapted to burn several alternative fuels, including hydrogen, HVO, methanol and other biodiesels

Going forward

For any new fuel, the priority will be to build infrastructure to support contractors, regardless of their location. Diesel infrastructure has been in place for decades. Planning for the supply of new energy sources must occur as the technology is implemented by producers and applied by contractors.

“Not all technologies are mature yet,” Gallant said. “We have a lot of work to do, so it is unreasonable to expect everyone to reach the end state today.”

The next priority is to gain buy-in from the operators doing the work. Your team must want to use the equipment, feel safe, and know that they will have the power and functionality they are accustomed to.

“As the industry evolves, electric machinery and alternatively fueled machinery will need to co-exist alongside today’s diesel-powered machinery, as diesel will (likely remain) the dominant power source, although some may shift from fossil fuels to increased use of diesel renewables,” he said Muller.