Diesel has earned a leg up in the light-duty trucking world.
According to new research released from IHS Markit, consumers choosing a diesel engine option in full-size half-ton pickup trucks can achieve on average 33 percent more miles per gallon (24 mpg diesel vs. 18.1 gasoline, combined fuel economy) saving about 200 gallons of gasoline every year.
Beyond the fuel savings, the diesel options have greater vehicle driving range before refueling at 550 miles per tank for a diesel compared to 420 miles for gasoline. Additional performance gains for diesel come in the form of higher torque, 450 lb.-ft for diesel compared to 394 lb.-ft for gasoline.
“New diesel engine options now available in full size/half-ton pickup trucks, including those from Chevrolet, GMC, and Ram Trucks, now bring important new fuel savings opportunities to America’s most popular selling vehicles, ” says Allen Schaeffer, executive director, Diesel Technology Forum.
The Diesel Technology Forum notes diesel’s unmatched and unique combination of power, performance, driving range, reliability and fuel efficiency has been well documented in the heavy-duty pickup truck segment for several decades. Now with these new options, manufacturers are bringing the diesel advantages to more consumers. And the benefits and diesel options don’t stop with full-size pickups.
Beyond fuel savings and greater driving range, diesel pickup truck owners also receive more performance in the form of torque, about a 26 percent improvement (350 lb.-ft. diesel vs. 257 lb.-ft.. gasoline). If all mid-size pickup trucks were to switch to diesel engines, the U.S. would realize a fuel savings of about 150 million gallons of fuel for one model year, DTF states.
Additionally, relative to a comparable gasoline truck model, a diesel option offers more fuel efficiency, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Recent advances in engine and emission control technology, have improved performance, reduced engine noise and fuel odor, and decreased emissions. Clean diesel technology in today’s properly maintained vehicles emits near zero levels of emissions, DTF says.
“If every full-size pickup sold today in America were a diesel, we could realize more than 500 million gallons of fuel savings in year. This would work out to be the same greenhouse gas emission savings gained as if 15 percent of the car fleet switched entirely to electric vehicles. This analysis demonstrates how more sales of diesels in medium and full-size pickup trucks, the vehicle types American car and truck buyers prefer, can deliver big benefits to both consumers and society. There are many ways we have to use less fuel and get meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and we should embrace them all,” says Schaeffer.
Forecasted diesel savings for new light-duty diesel vehicles in the U.S. market are expected to save approximately one billion gallons of fuel by 2025, DTF adds.
