Only time will tell: As industry explores LNG, when will LNG be ready for the industry?

摘要

I recently visited the Paccar Technical Center in Mount Vernon, Wash., where Kenworth hosted a weeklong event to showcase their alternative-fuel vehicles for customers and press. The model on hand most applicable to regional and line-haul operations was a T800 day cab tractor equipped with a Westport GX15 liquefied natural gas engine, which is based on the Cummins ISX15 and reconfigured with Westport's LNG fuel system technology. The sweet spot for the LNG tractors is heavy-load, high fuel-consumption applications. Judging from my time driving the LNG-equipped T800 around the test track, the 475-hp engine provided plenty of torque - listed at 1,750 lb-ft - especially on the low end.