Westport and PACCAR Australia to Produce LNG Trucks for Australian Market
10 December 2008
Westport Innovations Inc. and PACCAR Australia Pty Ltd. will develop and commercialize liquefied natural gas (LNG) Kenworth trucks for the Australian market. The LNG trucks will feature the Westport high pressure direct injection (HPDI) LNG engine and fuel system. (Earlier post.)
Australia’s Kenworth Trucks, a division of PACCAR, plans to begin factory-installed production in mid-2009 beginning with the T908, K108 and T408SAR truck chassis and roll out across additional models into the future.
Westport’s ISX G engine and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel system for heavy-duty trucks allows trucking fleets to move to lower-cost, domestically available natural gas and/or biogas while offering greenhouse gas reductions compared with similar diesel engines.
Based on the industry-leading Cummins ISX diesel engine with cooled EGR, Westport’s direct-injection LNG version of the engine offers the same horsepower, torque, and efficiency as the base diesel engine it is replacing, with ratings in the Australian market of up to 1,850 lb-ft (2,508 Nm) torque and 580 peak horsepower (433 kW).
The Westport LNG fuel system comprises LNG fuel tanks, proprietary Westport fuel injectors, cryogenic fuel pumps and associated electronic components.
The Australian Government has been supportive of the introduction of Westport’s LNG fuel system into the Australian market with demonstration funding.
Australia's NG infrasructure is extensive but lacking critical mass only a handfull of private cars and a larger no of public bus and municipal heavy vehicles and the remnants/ of the test fleet of B double heavy interstate and long haul trucks on the roads.
This signals the likelihood that fueling support infrastructure from plug in domestic to small fleet and more publicly accessible supply stations at least on the major highways are coming.
In a few years large nos of Aussies will have the option of going gas.
Given that carbon fuels will be with us a while yet, this can only be good news.
If it takes off as we would hope, then more headaches for the traditional petrol and diesel ice makers.
And cleaner cities and a lifting of the bar for makers , tuners and tinkers.
Posted by: arnold | 11 December 2008 at 11:35 AM