Advanced Diesel Internal Combustion Engines

This case study examines the role of the U.S. government in advancing diesel internal combustion engine technology. It details how federal investments in basic combustion research, the development of simulation tools, and the establishment of public-private partnerships led to significant improvements in fuel efficiency and a dramatic reduction in harmful emissions for heavy-duty trucks between the 1970s and 2010.

• Government-supported research significantly increased the efficiency of heavy-duty diesel trucks, which rose from 37% in 1981 to 42% in 2007. Additionally, truck fuel economy improved from 5.4 miles per gallon in 1981 to 6.4 miles per gallon in 2010.
• Between 1990 and 2009, per-mile emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the U.S. heavy truck fleet decreased by 67% to 81%.
• Federal investments in the Combustion Research Facility (CRF) and the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D (ACE R&D) programs between 1986 and 2007 totaled $931 million (inflation-adjusted) and generated over $70 billion in economic benefits for the United States.
• The U.S. government developed critical combustion simulation tools, including the KIVA codes (released in 1985) and the Cross-Cut Lean Exhaust Emissions Reduction Simulation (CLEERS) launched in 2001. These tools allowed manufacturers like Cummins, Ford, and General Motors to reduce development costs and meet EPA emission standards more quickly.
• The Department of Energy (DOE) coordinated several major public-private partnerships to accelerate vehicle efficiency and energy security: the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (1993), the 21st Century Truck Partnership (2000), the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership (2002), and U.S. Drive (2011).
• The ACE R&D program established 2015 goals to increase the efficiency of commercial diesel vehicles to 50% and diesel passenger vehicles to 45%.

APA

Rissman, J., & Kennan, H. (n.d.). Advanced Diesel Internal Combustion Engines. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/diesel-engines-case-study.pdf

Chicago

Rissman, Jeffrey, and Hallie Kennan. Advanced Diesel Internal Combustion Engines. Energy Innovation, n.d. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/diesel-engines-case-study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rissman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Kennan |first2=Hallie |title=Advanced Diesel Internal Combustion Engines |publisher=Energy Innovation |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/diesel-engines-case-study.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rissmanndadvanced, author = {Rissman, Jeffrey and Kennan, Hallie}, title = {{Advanced Diesel Internal Combustion Engines}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/diesel-engines-case-study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }