Stage V engines have the power to reduce carbon emissions

With the move away from red to white diesel and a greater focus on carbon emissions and sustainability in general, it was timely to see just how many new Stage V powered machines were launched at Bauma in October last year.

Coupled with 2022 seeing record breaking new rental fleet deals announced as fuel prices rose dramatically, 2023 looks set to be a big year for Stage V engines and fuels like HVO.

On a recent visit to Perkins Engines, Peter Haddock spoke to Rental Sector expert Dave Stollery to understand both the opportunities and challenges of rolling out Stage V equipment.

Dave: “Stage V is an EU emissions engine standard that aims to dramatically reduce tailpipe emissions and also offers the opportunity to improve fuel efficiency overall through the technologies implemented. The key emissions being targeted are particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (Nox). And now all new equipment manufactured for UK and European markets will be required to use newly designed Stage V engines.

“To achieve greater energy efficiency and power output demands, Stage V engines are designed to be run harder than previous versions. This is to support the engines after treatment systems such as Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) which we have designed to satisfy the lifetime expectancy of our engines.

“The industry is familiar with DPF, but with Stage V, we now have self managing engines with integrated DPF systems among other technologies to satisfy the requirements of Stage V.

Utilising the heat generated from the combustion process ensures these after treatment systems are working at maximum efficiency and removing as much of the Nox and PM as possible, therefore, the exhaust of the equipment they power is far cleaner. This eliminates any purging and maintenance requirements whilst also allowing engines to be run harder, increasing both efficiency and performance. 

“Clever design has also seen the new generation of Stage V engines able to increase power and torque significantly with a much smaller displacement and packaging overall. This has enabled equipment manufacturers to design more compact machines with greater hydraulic capabilities. For example, the new Wacker Neuson EW100 compact wheel loader launched at Bauma can use either a Perkins 4 cylinder 2.8 litre 55 kW or a 3.6 litre 100kW engine without any design changes.

“This is all to do with the increased power density achieved with Stage V. In practical terms, this means we are now able to achieve the sub one litre per cylinder displacement engine sizes highlighted above. Previously a 4 litre plus engine would have been needed to produce the same output.

These engines can also work with a variety of fuel types, with the key to delivering high levels of uptime always reliant on the quality of the fuels used. And the same principles apply to the many fluids designed for use within these engines, like low ash synthetic oils and AdBlue. For rental companies, it’s now about ensuring end users understand this, to ensure they benefit from the fuel savings and efficiencies Stage V can deliver.

And this is where maintenance benefits can also play a key role. For example, when it comes to the life of fluids these can now be extended to 500+ hours and thanks to the dramatic reduction in particulates we can expect greater levels of uptime.

Bring in regular fluid sampling to the maintenance mix, and each machine can have a tailored approach to fluid management, potentially extending hours further. This can also reduce the cost of other consumables like filters. On the flip side, if fluids have been contaminated, sampling will pick this up, supporting better preventative maintenance.

“The payback for rental businesses, in particular, can be significant. Less maintenance means longer working cycles, increased uptime and ultimately happy customers, and with Stage V there are further engine health advancements. This is due to the increased number of sensors that are now built into an engine.

“They send data and information on engine health and fuel burn, further supporting better maintenance. And with customers looking at how to measure sustainability and carbon emissions, this data will become even more important in future purchasing and fleet renewal processes.

“A good example of the value of this information was the impact the pandemic had on new equipment supply and how businesses had to ramp up maintenance spending to extend fleet renewal periods. With well maintained Stage V equipment, there is certainly an opportunity in the future to extend product lifecycles and even replace engines for a second or third life.

“The key to unlocking all of these benefits is understanding how to look after the engines themselves.”