Jeff Campbell, director of product marketing for Cummins Westport, said power and torque has always been – to a degree – the “Achilles heel” of natural gas engines in the trucking market. With the introduction of Cummins Westport’s new L-Gas engine, that problem is being addressed, he explained.
“Torque has always been the real issue when it comes to natural gas-powered truck engines,” Campbell told Fleet Owner at Waste Expo last week. “Now that our new L-Gas engine has crossed the 1,000 lb.-ft. torque threshold, the other advantages of natural gas power can become more evident to truck fleets.”
He pointed to the lower emissions produced by the L-Gas – it already meets 2007 NOx emission levels, for example – and the lower noise output as two advantages of going forward with natural gas technology.
“The L-Gas also represents the third generation of our spark-ignited natural gas truck engines, meaning its been refined and improved upon quite a bit,” Campbell said. “There’s a learning curve in terms of maintaining these engines, but it is not as significant as it has been in the past. As we continue to close the gap in terms of power with diesel engines, we think there will be more opportunities ahead for natural gas to have a bigger role in trucking.”