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I have heard in my field that the hardest part of meeting emissions with a diesel is transient events - shifting gears, when the engine goes from 0%-100% fuel, or coasting down a hill and then flooring it for the uphill. This event in a diesel always causes the puff of black smoke or any other number of pollutants that must be caught by the aftertreatment, if possible. Using an automatic, at least, eliminates the transient events during shifting, making it easier to meet emissions. I am told that in an upcoming diesel emission step (2017?), we are likely to see a mandatory switch to advanced powertrains (aka: hybrids? automatics?) even in the heavy duty truck side for this reason.
Who knows.
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