According to a new study commissioned by Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), heavy-duty engines powered by natural gas can provide a pathway toward helping meet California's emissions-reduction goals.
The report, which was prepared by Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, outlines a number of main findings, including the following:
- Heavy-duty natural gas engine manufacturers are expected to bring products to market in the next few years with NOx emissions less than 0.05 g/bhp-hr.
- Heavy-duty natural gas engines are on a trajectory to be certified at a NOx level of 0.02 g/bhp-hr, an emissions level so low that it equates to the power plant emissions that would result from charging an electric vehicle of a comparable size.
- Near-term utilization of technologies such as optimized compression ratios, enhanced three-way catalysts, integration of electric and hydraulic hybridization, improved aerodynamics, and low pressure storage are expected to help reduce NOx emissions from natural gas heavy-duty vehicles by 75%.
- The integration of new technologies – such as advanced after-treatment and waste heat recovery – will increase the likelihood that California can meet smog reduction requirements, and also help heavy-duty natural gas engines meet the 2050 goal to reduce GHG emissions by 80%.
‘This study's findings align with what the transportation industry marketplace is already demonstrating through increasing adoption of ultra-low emission natural gas-powered heavy-duty engines in trucking, shipping and public transportation such as buses and sanitation trucks,’ says Rodger Schwecke, vice president of customer solutions for SoCalGas.
The full report is available here.
