ATRI Receives $500,000 EPA Grant for Idling-Reduction
he American Transportation Research Institute Wednesday said it has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study engine idling-reduction technologies as part of EPA’s long-term efforts to conserve fuel and reduce emissions for the trucking industry.
The award to ATRI is one of a total of $5 million in grants from the EPA SmartWay partnership program to help promote technologies that save fuel while also reducing pollution.
ATRI, the trucking industry's research organization, is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
With this focus, ATRI said, it will work with motor carriers to identify and evaluate idle-reduction technologies installed as part of the truck manufacturing process or prior to trucks being placed in service.
The trucking industry consumes about 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel each year. Of that, extended but generally necessary idling consumes more than 2 billion gallons.
The funds to study engine idle reduction technologies come at a critical time as the trucking industry is on pace to spend an unprecedented $85 billion more on fuel this year than last.
Engine-idle reduction technologies have the potential to save the industry 15 million gallons of diesel fuel and about $45 million over the life of the project, ATRI said.
Motor carriers interested in learning how to participate in ATRI’s research can visit ATRI’s Web site at www.atri-online.org.
