New Lubricant Designed to Balance Economy with Durability

摘要

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) have had regulations in place since 2011 that address green-house-gas emissions (principally CO_2) and fuel economy for medium- and heavy-duty on-highway diesels. Specific regulations are based on vehicle configuration, but the logic is simple: Vehicles that get better mileage burn less fuel and emit a lesser volume of objectionable gases. Vehicle and engine manufacturers have made significant strides toward attaining higher levels of fuel efficiency, while simultaneously reducing particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the diesel's exhaust to miniscule levels. The prospect of the EPA/ NHTSA regulations becoming more stringent in 2017, however, has engine and vehicle manufacturers-and oil companies, as it turns out-developing even more advanced technology to improve fuel economy.