Road freight is the backbone of EU trade. Trucks carry almost 80% of all freight transported over land in the European Union and over 99% of all HGVs are diesel-powered. As such, trucks are responsible for just over a quarter of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road transport and approximately 6% of the EU’s total GHG emissions from all sources.
To curb emissions, the existing Euro 6 legislation on CO2 standards requires manufacturers to reduce the emissions of new trucks by 15% by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Today, almost three out of four new trucks manufactured are subject to the current CO2 reduction standards.
The legislative review proposed by the European Commission on 14 February 2023, extends and increases the target levels even further to -45% in 2030, -65% in 2035 and -90% in 2040. With this extension of the scope of the CO2 standards regulation, more than 98% of the sector’s CO2 emissions will be regulated.
This review also paves the way for the introduction of the most stringent emissions standards to date, the Euro 7 regulations, which will come into force on 1 July 2027 for new heavy goods vehicles, subject to final approval by the European Parliament and EU member states.
Formally announced at the end of 2022, the proposed Euro 7 is focused on being “technology and fuel-neutral” which will, for the first time, consider all pollutants from the vehicle, not just the exhaust.
This will bring into scope emissions from trucks that were previously not covered, such as formaldehyde, which is a carcinogenic gas, as well as nitrous oxide (N2O). In addition, the draft Euro 7 proposals encompass brake and tyre emissions for the first time.
By 2035, Euro 7 is expected to have lowered total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from trucks by 56% compared to Euro 6. At the same time, exhaust particulates are expected to be 39% lower.
An important part of the Euro 7 proposal are changes to the testing procedures that make it more challenging to meet emission standards. The boundary conditions for real driving emissions (RDE) testing have been broadened to ensure that emissions stay low in a broader range of conditions. For instance, the maximum ambient temperature is increased from 35°C to 45°C, the maximum altitude is increased from 1600m to 1800m, and short trips are allowed. Equally, the Euro 7 proposals introduces two sets of limits, one for hot and one for cold emissions, reflecting a focus on the reduction of cold-start emissions. The limits are set lower than they were in the Euro 6 standards. For Euro 7, NOx limits are 350 mg/kWh and 90 mg/kWh, cold and hot respectively, compared to the Euro VI limit of 400 mg/kWh.
For HGVs, there is also a greater focus on whole vehicle testing (ISC PEMS) instead of purely engine testing. This means that Euro 7 vehicles will need to be equipped with on-board emissions monitoring systems (OBM), which must be capable of detecting the occurrence of emission exceedances and of communicating that information via the OBD port and over the air.
Overall then, Euro 7 promises to be far-reaching in terms of monitoring the total environmental footprint of trucks operating across the EU. For its part, Ceramex, the leading international provider of truck diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning and remanufacturing services, is already looking down the road to the implications of Euro 7 and its impact on the existing Euro 6 diesel truck parc.
Having developed its own, unique and patented aqueous cleaning process, Xpurge®, which restores the DPF to approximately 98% of its original brand new performance, Ceramex is now investigating adaptations to truck DPFs, which will be required in order for existing diesel vehicles to comply with the new Euro 7 legislation.
As an innovative business that’s part of a major UK-based engineering group, Ceramex has an in-house R&D resource, which is focused on addressing the challenges ahead. One of the major hurdles to overcome will be enabling enough air to pass through the DPF so as not to restrict engine performance by reduced back pressure. DPFs that are cleaned by Ceramex, in accordance with the required maintenance schedule, deliver a lower exhaust back pressure, thereby enabling more efficient engine performance and reduced fuel consumption, as less regenerations are required.
Undoubtedly, however, OE manufacturers of DPF units will consider making the pore size much smaller within the filter’s substrate and tests will be required to see how a more tightly condensed DPF will stand up to cleaning.
For context, particulate matter can be broadly categorised as follows:
- Coarse particles or PM10—particulates of an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm
- Fine particles or PM2.5—particles with a diameter ≤ 2.5 µm
- Ultrafine particles of diameters below 0.1 µm or 100 nm
- Nanoparticles, characterized by diameters of less than 50 nm.
To achieve this, another possible option would be the addition of an extra layer of filtration on the inlet face of the DPF, such as a silica-based coating, which is currently under development by filter manufacturers. How this would respond to the cleaning process is clearly a critical factor, so Ceramex is monitoring this closely.
The advancement of synthetic fuel and engine oils is another area of research for Ceramex. Since ash found inside the DPF is mainly burnt oil residue, the sintering properties of engine lubricants is high on the agenda.
Ultimately, as a market leader in its field, Ceramex is fully invested in ensuring that truck operators will continue to be able to access affordable and compliant cleaning and inspection services, that will not only prove the necessary filtration and back pressure results, but will enable EU road haulage trade to continue unhindered.
