In testing, the Cummins Westport ISX12N 400 hp natural gas engine met and exceeded the California Air Resources Board’s optional Low NOx standard. The Vancouver-based company says its engine is “one of the cleanest and economical options available for truck fleets today”.
Natural gas engine also takes advantage of low natural gas prices
Vancouver-based Cummins Westport says an independent third-party study on its Cummins Westport ISX12N 400 hp natural gas engine has shown that it meets and exceeds California Air Resources Board’s optional Low NOx standard.
According to Envoy Energy, a number of trucking companies operating at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are taking part in a pilot program and have deployed 22 Class 8 drayage trucks equipped with the natural gas engine and have been fuelled with renewable natural gas (RNG).
The ultra-low emission engines can run on CNG, RNG or LNG and have been factory installed on Freightliner, Kenworth and Peterbilt semi trucks.
Renewable natural gas is an ultra-clean and ultra-low-carbon natural gas alternative. It is made from the methane that is captured when waste from food scraps, animal manure, sewage and other organic sources is broken down, captured and refined. RNG can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 125 per cent or more, depending on the renewable feedstock used to produce it.
Study results showed that the ISX12N 400 hp engine met and exceeded the target NOx emissions throughout a range of duty cycles. When the engine operates on renewable natural gas, there are significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Bart van Aerle, President of Cummins Westport said “This study further confirms that the ISX12N, like the L9N natural gas engine, is one of the cleanest and economical options available for truck fleets today”.
In addition to providing air quality and greenhouse gas benefits, the ISX12N can also take advantage of low natural gas prices and available incentive funds.
The study was carried out by The University of California, Riverside College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology, with funding provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Energy Commission, and Southern California Gas Co.
In a press release, Cummins Westport said the study “confirms that natural gas engine technology provides one of the cleanest available options for on-highway transportation”.
The ISX12N has been in production since February 2018, and was the first Class 8 truck engine for larger heavy-duty vehicles to certify to CARB’s optional Low NOx standard.
To date, over 1,000 ISX12N engines have been produced for North American customers.
The ISX12N is produced at the Cummins Jamestown, NY engine plant, and is available from a wide variety of vehicle manufacturers. It’s designed for regional haul, refuse, and vocational trucks, as well as motorcoach and commuter buses.
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