Canada-based Cummins Westport Inc., a joint venture of diesel engine maker Cummins of Columbus, IN, and Westport Innovations, Vancouver, BC, has won $200,000 in funding to advance the low-emissions B5.9LPG propane engine.
The funding, in the form of a non-repayable grant, is from the Propane Education & Research Council of Washington, DC, a U.S. propane industry program dedicated to promoting the safe use of propane as a preferred energy source.
The funding will cover a portion of the cost to develop a new B Propane Plus version of the current B5.9LPG engine. Like the 8.3-liter C Gas Plus introduced by Cummins Westport in 2001, the 5.9-liter B Propane Plus will be equipped with an Electronic Control Module (ECM) to make the engine compatible with Cummins diesel diagnostic tools for troubleshooting repairs.
With up to 195 horsepower, the B Propane Plus will be targeted at urban bus and truck operations around the world. Cummins Westport expects to certify the engine for both North American and European emissions standards and to make it available for sale by early 2003. As with the B5.9LPG, Cummins will manufacture the new B Propane Plus at its engine plant in Rocky Mount, NC.