Westport receives funding for EPA2010 LNG engines

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VANCOUVER, B.C. — Westport Innovations has been awarded US$2.25 million to fast track development of its next generation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine, which is intended to improve the air quality of California.

The Canadian firm was awarded environmental funding from four different California organizations: $1.25 from South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), $500,000 from the California Energy Commission and $250,000 each from the Ports of Lost Angeles and Long Beach. The financial collaboration is intended to support the development, demonstration, commercialization, and certification of Westport’s heavy-duty LNG fuel system for the Cummins ISX diesel engine, in an effort to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 emissions standard.

“In order to meet our clean air goals here in Southern California, we need to accelerate the deployment of clean-fueled heavy-duty vehicles,” said SCAQMD executive office, Barry Wallerstein. “This investment in Westport’s clean vehicle technology is an important step in making this goal a reality.”

“(By) working with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Energy Commission and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Westport is proud to be paving the way in helping our customers meet the highest emissions’ standards in the world today,” said the president and CEO of Westport, Michael Gallagher.

Westport’s LNG system for heavy-duty trucks offers lower greenhouse gas emissions than comparable diesel engines, and allows trucking fleets to move to lower-cost, domestically available natural gas and/or biogas, the company claims. Based on the Cummins ISX diesel engine with cooled EGR, the LNG version of the engine offers the same horsepower, torque, and efficiency as the base diesel engine rating it is replacing.

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