Natural gas trucks perform in cold weather

A report highlighting the performance of natural gas powered trucks in Canada has shown that the vehicles perform well in some of the country’s harshest cold weather conditions.

The report titled ‘Evaluation of the Winter Performance of Compressed Natural Gas Refuse Trucks’ documents the cold weather operation of a fleet of 18 compressed natural gas (CNG) refuse trucks owned by EBI. Funded by Transport Canada’s ‘ecoTecnology for Vehicles’ programme, the report documents the experience of the heavy natural gas vehicle fleet.

Ready for winter

The fleet of 18 Peterbilt trucks with Cummins Westport 8.9 litre engines has been operating over two years at temperatures as low as -16 degrees Celsius. The report has found that CNG trucks operate well with no issues in cold weather, as long as normal winter aids are used. The vehicle design is also suitable for cold winter temperatures and weather conditions. EBI has since bought a further 32 gas-powered trucks thanks to their satisfactory performance, fuel savings, and emissions benefits.

"Natural gas is a great option that offers fuel savings from day one. We're proud of our natural gas fleet. We're also investing in a network of public stations to bring CNG to the broader Québec market," commented EBI's President, Pierre Sylvestre.

"Heavy diesel vehicles are one of Canada's fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and natural gas trucks offer a sensible and affordable way to reduce emissions," added Alicia Milner, President of the Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance (CNGVA). "More private sector investments like EBI's should be encouraged as they accelerate the transition to lower emission vehicle use in Canada."

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/22112013/winter_truck_performance_480/