Nigel Clark, the George B. Berry Chair of Engineering at West Virginia University and associate vice president for academic strategic planning, has been named to an ad-hoc committee formed to continue the work done in 2010 by the National Research Council for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A committee, made up of 19 industry representatives and educators, will assess technologies for reducing fuel consumption of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

This updated assessment will reassess the technologies analyzed in part one of the NRC report by providing updated estimates of the cost, potential efficiency improvements and barriers to commercial deployment of technologies that might be employed in model years 2022 and beyond. The assessment will reflect developments since the initial report was issued and investigate any new technologies that may become important in model years beyond 2022-2023. The committee will also examine and make recommendations for improvements to the medium- and heavy-duty fuel efficiency program.

“Our society is dependent on trucking for interstate freight movement, local delivery and a wide variety of services, and trucks consume a substantial fraction of our national energy supply,” said Clark. “Driving energy efficiency in this sector is essential: it reduces fuel use, makes economic sense and reduces overall exhaust pollutants. Serving on this committee represents a wonderful opportunity to reduce our energy footprint and advance our national economy.”

Clark has extensive experience in vehicle design, advanced vehicle concepts, alternative fuels and the measurement and reduction of vehicle emissions. He has conducted research for government and industry in the areas of fuel economy and emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, including buses and heavy hybrid drive vehicles, and works with the International Council for Clean Transportation on technology and efficiency review. Clark has contributed to understanding the influence of vehicle activity and test cycles on fuel use, and to relating engine and vehicle dynamometer data.

A Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Clark previously served as director of WVU’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions and has been responsible for implementing and performing well over $50 million in research.

“Nigel Clark is widely recognized in the heavy duty vehicle industry as a leader in the study of alternative fuels and vehicle design, especially as it relates to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and engines,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College. “He has been a prolific researcher who will bring that wealth of experience to bear on the important work of this committee.”

The committee will work under the oversight of the National Academies Division on Engineering and Physical Science, Studies and Special Programs Division. Part of the committee’s work will be to review the final rule for fuel efficiency/greenhouse gas emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles for model years 2014-2018 with the recommendations offered in the NRC 2010 report.

Potential implications and gaps in the U.S. regulatory process for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles as they pertain to the engine manufacturers, trailer manufacturers, final stage manufacturers, and complete vehicles will be identified. The committee will also explore regulatory options for trailers from a total vehicle perspective as well as contrast the U.S. regulatory approach to that in other parts of the world, notably Europe, Japan, China and India.

The committee, which is chaired by Andrew Brown, Jr., vice president and chief technologist with Delphi Corp., is expected to issue its report in December 2015.

The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Charles Vest, a 1963 graduate of WVU with a degree in mechanical engineering, serves as president of the NAE. Former chair of the WVU Department of Mining Engineering, Syd Peng, is also an NAE member.

-WVU-

mcd/03/19/13

CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon; WVU Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu

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