Cummins Westport gets federal funding

Cummins Westport will receive $778,000 for two separate U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored projects involving medium and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles, and will share $378,000 of funding for one project with Paccar Inc. of Bellevue, WA.

For the second project, Cummins Westport will share $400,000 of funding with EmeraChem LLC, a catalyst company based in Knoxville, TN. Both projects are scheduled for completion in late 2002.

The Cummins Westport-led project with Paccar is intended to establish a preliminary vehicle design as well as market-introduction strategies for new medium- and heavy-duty trucks with natural gas engines. The funding will cover 75% of the cost of the project.

The Cummins Westport-led project with EmeraChem will demonstrate oxides of nitrogen (NOx) absorber technology in a 230 hp, 5.9 liter Cummins Westport engine. The funding will cover 20% of the cost of the project, which also includes other upgrades to the engine.