Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) has announced that the ISB6.7 G, a 6.7-liter, mid-range, factory-built natural gas engine is now fully available as a production engine for shuttle bus, medium-duty truck and vocational applications in North America.
CWI notes that the engine has been available for school bus applications since May from Thomas Built Buses. The 6.7-liter engine platform has large original equipment manufacturer (OEM) availability for mid-range trucks, vocational trucks and midsize buses, and the expansion of applications potentially available for the ISB6.7 G engine more than doubles its addressable market.
According to CWI, the ISB6.7 G is based on the Cummins ISB6.7 diesel engine platform and operates exclusively on natural gas, including compressed, liquid or renewable natural gas (RNG).
As reported, the ISB6.7 G is the second engine from CWI to receive emission certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board for meeting the Optional Low NOx Emissions standards.
“We are pleased to announce the ISB6.7 G is now in full production and available for all of our customers and OEM partners,” says Rob Neitzke, president of CWI. “An engine of this size is a natural addition to CWI’s portfolio of natural gas engines. Many customers using school and shuttle buses, medium-duty trucks, or vocational vehicles operate within a local area where the return to base nature of their operation allows them to use fleet-owned or growing publicly available natural gas fueling infrastructure.
“The ISB6.7 G offers the mid-range customer an ability to take advantage of the most cost-effective overall solution, with the benefit of a low-emission natural gas engine that has proven performance, reliability and durability,” he says. “In addition, operating on RNG offers customers a tremendous greenhouse-gas savings opportunity versus fossil fuels.”
According to CWI, the ISB6.7 G will be manufactured in the Cummins engine plant and offered in three ratings up to 240 hp and 560 lb-ft torque.
Partial funding in support of the ISB6.7 G engine development has been received from the California Energy Commission through its Public Interest Energy Research Program in conjunction with the Gas Technology Institute.
Anyone else see NG as the real energy transportation revolution, not EVs? EVs wouldn’t stand on their own without government incentives.