Study shows emissions advantages for trucks with ClearFlame technology

ClearFlame Engine Technologies said that an independent study finds ClearFlame’s technology could help fleet owners and other heavy-duty truck operators lower total costs while meeting sustainability goals sooner than currently available alternatives.

The study was conducted by Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA) and commissioned by ClearFlame, whose investors include Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, John Deere, Mercuria, and Clean Energy Ventures.

It analyzed the total cost of ownership (TCO) and expected emissions performance of ClearFlame’s proprietary engine modification technology in the over-the-road heavy-duty truck market versus other options.

Study Highlights:

• ClearFlame-enabled trucks are expected to have the lowest TCO when compared with diesel, natural gas, electric, and hydrogen platforms.
• ClearFlame’s cost per mile is expected to be substantially lower than electric and hydrogen platforms—40% less than electric and 30% less than hydrogen.
• ClearFlame can provide a quick and cost-effective path to substantial reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and tailpipe emissions compared to other sustainable fuels and technologies, whose practical challenges, such as cost, range, infrastructure, and fuel availability, have slowed adoption.
• ClearFlame is estimated to provide a 42% lifecycle carbon reduction compared with diesel, as well as approximately 22% lower GHG than battery electric vehicles based on the national average grid mix.
• The TCO analysis was conducted when diesel fuel’s national average was $3.48 per gallon in October 2021 and found that ClearFlame-enabled trucks would have a lower TCO than diesel by $0.08 per mile, lower than natural gas by $0.09 per mile, lower than electric by $0.97 per mile, and lower than hydrogen platforms by $0.61 per mile.

The report further highlights that ClearFlame can significantly reduce tailpipe PM2.5 by 99%, DPM by 100%, and SOx by 95% relative to traditional diesel fuel. It also finds that while electric and hydrogen platforms have the potential to provide zero tailpipe emissions, these technologies are far from being commercially available for long-haul trucking, and fueling and charging infrastructure remains a significant barrier, as do the costs per mile. As a result, technologies like ClearFlame are one of the only options to quickly provide cost-effective GHG and tailpipe emissions reductions for fleets.

ClearFlame is on track to conduct on-road testing with select fleet partners beginning in Q2 of this year.

BJ Johnson, ClearFlame’s CEO and Co-Founder, said, “This study validates what we’ve been saying for some time—ClearFlame’s engine modification technology not only takes the dirty diesel out of diesel engines, it is also less expensive in total cost of ownership than diesel, electric, natural gas, and hydrogen.”