Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has launched the new SoCalGas Truck Loan Program. The program allows qualified fleet owners the opportunity to try out the latest in heavy-duty natural gas truck technology by test-driving a 12L near-zero truck.

This “try before you buy” program provides fleet owners with the opportunity to haul loads with the new truck for up to two weeks. Operators will experience the similarities between natural gas trucks and diesel trucks with respect to power, drivability, fuel range and fuel availability. Additionally, fleet owners will see the advantages natural gas trucks have over diesel, including lower fuel costs.

SoCalGas is working in partnership with the truck’s owner, Rush Truck Centers, the only company with a 12-liter near-zero natural gas truck equipped with a Cummins Westport ISX12N engine (earlier post) and Momentum Fuel system available for rent in Southern California.

The ISX12N and the Cummins L9N are the lowest certified NO_x emission engines available in North America. NO_x exhaust emissions are 90% lower than the current EPA NO_x limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr, and the engines also meet or exceed the 2017 EPA greenhouse gas (GHG) emission requirements. CWI natural gas engines have met the 2010 EPA standard for particulate matter (0.01 g/bhp-hr) since 2001.

The ISX12N is the first Class 8 truck engine for larger heavy-duty vehicles to certify to the 0.02 g/bhp-hr optional standard.

Based on the ISX12 G, first introduced in 2013, the ISX12N natural gas engine is available with ratings from 320 to 400 hp and up to 1,450 lb-ft (1,966 N·m) of peak torque. The ISX12N is designed for line haul, regional haul, refuse, and vocational trucks, as well as motorcoach and commuter buses.

Like Cummins Westport’s new L9N and B6.7N engines, the ISX12N features a new engine control module with improved durability, on-board diagnostics, an enhanced, maintenance-free three-way catalyst, and a closed crankcase ventilation system.

As part of the rental program, customers will participate in a “pre-rental” and “post-rental” survey of their natural gas vehicle driving experience. The survey will include topics such as truck performance, fueling availability, grants and incentives and purchase decision.

More fleet owners have switched to natural gas trucks over the last few years, due in part to available incentive funding. However, some are unfamiliar with the technology and are hesitant to make the switch. The SoCalGas Truck Loan Program is the perfect way to put natural gas trucks to the test on routes driven every day.

—Sharon Tomkins, vice president of customer solutions and strategy for SoCalGas

SoCalGas account executives have assisted dozens of fleet owners with incentive funding applications to purchase more than 350 near-zero natural gas trucks and build five new CNG fueling stations since the beginning of the year. Replacing 350 diesel trucks with near-zero natural gas trucks is the equivalent of taking more than 20,000 passenger cars off the road.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas services 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90% of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company’s pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians;about 60% of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.