Truckers get electrifying opportunity
Truckers who keep their diesel engines idling while they stop on the road to sleep at night to power on-board air conditioners and other equipment waste approximately 300,000 gallons of fuel and release 500 tons of nitrogen oxides into the air daily. Now, though, a growing number of truck stops are adding equipment that allows truckers to plug into an outside power supply and turn off their engines. As the first phase of a three-year project for the U.S. Environmental Agency, researchers at the College Station, Texas-based Texas Transportation Institute have created a Web-based map that pinpoints ideal locations for more truck stop electrification equipment. Users can zoom to a map of a state, transportation corridor or a specific zone in a corridor to view truck stops that could use the equipment. The map is available online at tse.tamu.edu.
