Thanks to an innovative public-private sector partnership, Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) has successfully developed the first mid-range engine in North America to gain a new “near-zero” emissions certification from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). That means the new ISL G natural gas engine meets the 0.02 grams/brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr) optional near-zero NOx emissions standards for medium-duty trucks, urban buses, school buses and refuse trucks.
“In Southern California, clean, zero- and near-zero emission vehicle technologies are critical to meeting clean air standards,” said Barry Wallerstein, Executive Officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). “Cummins Westport’s new engine provides an important tool toward reaching that goal.”
The public-private research and development initiative cost $5.25 million. CWI, the maker of the new near-zero natural gas vehicle (NGV) engine, put up $1 million, and two other private sector partners added another $1.5 million: Sempra Energy's Southern California Gas Co. ($1 million) and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. ($500,000). The SCAQMD and the California Energy Commission put up the remaining $2.75 million ($1.75 million and $1 million, respectively).
This engine will help many MSRC project partners striving to achieve near-zero emissions from their medium- and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles. Additionally, it will help California meet the U.S. EPA’s ozone standards and help reduce the pollution that contributes to asthma and other negative health impacts for California families.
Production of the ISL G near-zero engine is slated to begin in April 2016, according to CWI, with the engine being made available as a first fit engine with transit and refuse OEMs, and as an engine replacement for existing ISL G vehicles. For California, this will result in immediate NOx emissions reductions that will help meet 2023 state near-zero NOx emission goals. The new engine is slated to be available more broadly some time in 2017.
“These North America emission certifications result in a game-changing reduction in urban tailpipe and engine related emissions. This, combined with the reliability and operating improvements on the base ISL G engine, puts CWI natural gas engines at the forefront of cost-effective and dependable emission reduction strategies in transit, medium-duty truck and refuse applications,” said Rob Neitzke, President of Cummins Westport Inc.