Daimler Trucks North America Introduces Another Truck with Natural Gas Drive System
17 July 2009
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has introduced another natural gas-powered truck, the Freightliner Business Class M2 112 NG. The first five tractors were delivered to various licensed motor carriers for utilization in drayage fleets in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
The delivery of the extremely low-emission trucks is an important step in California’s publicly supported Clean Truck Program, which is intended to remove older trucks with high emissions levels in ports such those at Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The 8.9-liter engine is supplied by Cummins Westport, a manufacturer of alternative-fuel engines based in Vancouver, Canada. The cooled-exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) engine offers the lowest emissions available in the industry while maintaining performance and efficiency.
An additional 25 vehicles are scheduled to roll off the line of the DTNA plant in Mt. Holly, North Carolina, in September. These tractors will also be delivered to Los Angeles for deployment in drayage fleets.
Natural gas is a very good fuel for limited distance trucks. The experience with hydraulic hybid prototypes indicates that, at times, only half the fuel is needed.
The larger vehicles can accomodate more gas storage space. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 17 July 2009 at 10:38 PM