Cascadia natural gas day cab ready for test drives

Five natural gas-powered Freightliner Cascadia 113 day-cab tractors are now available for test drives by fleets and others interested in the alternative fuel.  Freightliner Trucks plans to begin full production of the NG Cascadia in the third quarter of 2013, according to parent Daimler Trucks North America.

Said to be best suited for regional hauling and LTL applications, the NG Cascadia 113 is powered by the new Cummins Westport ISX12 G heavy-duty NG engine, which is based on the Cummins ISX12 diesel heavy duty engine platform and will operate on either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).   It’s rated at 400 HP and delivers a peak torque of 1450 lb.-ft.  Other standard specs for the NG Cascadia include an Allison 4000HS automatic transmission and 115 diesel gal. equivalent (DGE)  CNG fuel tanks.

“Natural gas products can result in significant fuel cost savings, making it a smart choice for increasing profitability while benefitting the environment,” said T.J.  Reed, director, product strategy for Freightliner. “By providing our customers with the opportunity to test drive a Cascadia 113 natural gas, they’ll experience first-hand the performance and efficiency of an alternative fuel solution.”

In addition to the Cascadia day cab, Freightliner also currently offers NG versions of its Business Class M2 112 and 114SD trucks.  Freightliner said it has sold over 1,800 NG medium- and heavy-duty trucks and tractors since 2008, and DTNA over 4,600 NG vehicles across all of its brands.