Westport says natural gas engines cleaner than diesels

In a presentation to delegates at the World Natural Gas Vehicle conference in Washington, DC, CTO Patric Ouellette said the engines offer the same performance and fuel efficiency as the most advanced diesel equivalent. In addition to the lower NOx, Ouellette said the engines would produce 60% less particulate matter and 20% less greenhouse gases than '02 diesels.

"We are making great strides in improving emissions levels from natural gas engines," Ouellette said. "Our analysis indicates that we can meet future emissions requirements while becoming increasingly cost competitive with diesel engines."

Seventeen trucks have been testing the ISXG in the field and have completed more than 1.4 million miles of service, Ouellette said. Fourteen of these vehicles are being operated by Norcal Waste Systems, a California refuse hauler with a fleet of 1,200 trucks, which has an additional nine ISXG engines on order for delivery in 2003.