Posted on 05/22/2012 1:43:00 PM PDT by Red Badger
Volvo Trucks unveiled last week its plans to launch a 13-liter heavy-duty natural gas engine featuring Westport high pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology. The engine, marketed under the “Blue Power” designation, is scheduled to launch for the North American market in 2014.
The engine’s advanced high pressure diesel ignition technology will provide significant fuel efficiency gains compared with current natural gas products. Combined with the company’s previously announced offering of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Volvo VNM and VNL model daycabs, the new engine will provide customers with a complete range of natural gas-powered transportation solutions. Volvo is also testing another fuel that can be produced from natural gas, DME (dimethyl ether), which has the potential to become an attractive alternative for the North American market.
Through advanced high pressure diesel ignition technology – using trace amounts of diesel to ignite the natural gas – Volvo’s LNG engine will deliver a 30-percent fuel efficiency improvement compared with spark-ignition (SI) engines, making it a viable alternative for demanding long-haul applications. The Volvo 13-liter LNG engine will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 20 percent compared with current diesel products.
The engine will accomplish these savings without sacrificing power, torque or fuel efficiency, all of which are critical attributes for on-highway operations. The Volvo Group was the number one supplier of 13-liter heavy-duty engines to the combined U.S. and Canadian market last year, and the same vertically integrated approach that has made Volvo a global powertrain leader is being applied to the development of the new engine. The company’s proprietary Volvo I-Shift automated mechanical transmission also will be available for customers to specify.
North America’s abundant supply of natural gas, and the reduced emissions and minimal aftertreatment CNG engines offer, make the technology an ideal solution for customers operating in localized or closed-loop applications. To meet current demand, Volvo offers the CNG-powered VNM daycab equipped with a factory-installed Cummins ISL G engine.
The company also recently announced that it is operating natural gas-powered VNL demonstrator trucks. The larger, more robust VNL model features a 12-liter Cummins- Westport ISX12 G gas engine. Factory production of the natural gas-powered VNL daycab will begin in conjunction with commercial availability of the 12-liter gas engine in early 2013. These heavy-duty engines feature maintenance-free aftertreatment, requiring only a three-way catalyst to meet EPA 2010 emissions standards.
Natural Gas ... humm.
Where the heck is the trucker going to fill that thing up when doing cross country runs?
Or would these engins be in trucks for local deliveries only where they will be filled up at a home base?
VW makes virtually the same engine right here in the US [that can't be sold here]
The Ford engine get slightly better mileage. As I understand, gas taxes are the only source of funding for the highways.[least in Texas] Double the fuel economy, the amount collected gets cut in half. Thus, no highpro diesel engines in the US.
Target: Local fleet services........
Build a better mousetrap and all you get is a better mouse......
A spark ignition has a single point of ignition that a ‘flame front’ has to spread out from to burn the fuel-air mixture, creating pollutants in its wake, as some fuel does not get completely burned.
Using a compression ignition system, all the fuel spontaneously ignites simultaneously, since pressure is equal in all parts of the combustion chamber, therefore all the fuel is ignited and burned...........
“VW makes virtually the same engine right here in the US [that can’t be sold here]”
Talking tdis, VW sells diesel Jettas, Golfs, Touregs, and Passats here.
And the same or similar engines go into VW Group’s Audis in A3, Q7.
So they do sell them here.
Jettas and Golfs with diesels range from $25,000 to $30,000.
Loaded tdi Passat under $35,000.
So VW, Audi, BMW and Mercedes all sell diesels, made the investment to qualify them for 50 states.
But not a single former Big Three pursues this market. In fact it is very disappointing how few engine options are offered in the US market. Most Japanese/Korean companies have diesel for other markets, but none in the US.
I hope Ford sells the tdi Focus here, but at a reasonalble price premium.
Not the same as these. You can’t get this engine in the US from what I’ve been told.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-volkswagen-polo-bluemotion-diesel-quick-spin
Mazda has a gasoline engine that gets 70+ mpg they are releasing in Japan. They claim it could be released here but, with much lower mpg due to regs.
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