Westport Innovations has received $1 million grant from the Canadian federal government to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of using natural gas engines in heavy-duty commercial trucks.
The project, funded by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), will use the Cummins Westport 15-liter ISXG engine prototype in several test trucks operating along Highway 401, the main artery linking Ontario and Quebec.
The ISXG, which is scheduled to become commercially available early in 2004, can provide up to 500 horsepower. The engine uses high-pressure direct injection of natural gas into a diesel engine platform, which allows the ISXG to match the performance and efficiency of the comparable diesel engine but with significantly lower emissions of particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen and greenhouse gases, said Westport.
