Welcome the new Volvo V90!

On June 23, Volvo Car announced it will launch a Bi-Fuel version of its new V90 station wagon. The V90 will supersede the V70 and marks a new era of vehicles with Westport technology. Based on the same engine technology as the V60 sports wagon, the V90 will run on compressed natural gas (CNG), biomethane, or petrol and with a 254 horsepower engine, will be the most powerful CNG car on the market. 

The Westport team in Gothenburg, Sweden is pictured here with last V70 Bi-Fuel car delivered by Westport. This high-performance, fuel-efficient vehicle has been a major success story in the European market and since the start of production in 2010, has been our best-selling product with more than 4,500 vehicles delivered.   

Sales of the V70 have also had a significant environmental impact. Based on an average mix of biomethane provided by the Swedish Transport Association, and a well-to-wheels perspective of expected lifetime emissions of the vehicle, a V70 Bi-Fuel emits 50% fewer green house gas (GHG) emissions compared to a petrol fuelled vehicle. This results in a savings of about 8 tonnes of CO₂ per vehicle or close to 40,000 tonnes when the entire fleet of vehicles sold is considered.

By collaborating with OEMs like Volvo Car, Westport have been able develop vital technology solutions to reduce GHG emissions and continue to meet demand for premium natural gas vehicles. Great work to the team in Sweden, farewell to the V70, and we look forward to more success with the V90!

Driving Down Greenhouse Gas Emissions

On Friday April 22, leaders from 175 countries gathered in New York to sign the Paris Agreement, which was brokered at COP 21 last December. This means that over 85 per cent of the world’s nations have committed to large reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 15 years and to actions to limit any increase in global warming to 2°C.

At the signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, pointed directly to the private sector when he discussed the Agreement, saying: “It is the unmistakable signal that innovation, entrepreneurial activity, the allocation of capital, the decisions that governments make, all of this is what we now know definitively is what is going to define the new energy future… The power of this agreement is what it is going to do to unleash the private sector, and it is already doing to set in pace the global economy on a new path for smart, responsible, sustainable development.”

These pledges and comments may be headline grabbing but what does this all mean in real terms for the transportation industry? In this edition of Fuel for Thought, Karen Hamberg, Westport’s Vice President Industry and Government Relations, explains how Westport is leading the transition to a low carbon economy and the environmental benefits we can expect from next generation natural gas engine and vehicle technology. 

Karen Hamberg, VP of Industry and Government Relations

Sustainability and a low carbon economy

Sustainability is at the core of Westport’s business. We are seeing a heightened focus on the environmental performance of the transportation sector on a global scale with these pivotal commitments to the Paris Agreement. As the drive for increased engine efficiency, improved urban air quality and GHG emission reductions increases more pressure is placed on engine and vehicle manufacturers. This, in turn, increases opportunities for us to innovate in order to take a leading role in the transition to a low carbon economy.

Earth Day took place on April 22 and coincided with the signing of the Paris Agreement

So what are we doing to achieve this?

1. Collaborating with key industry partners

We contribute to technical working groups, committees, and advisory panels to learn from other experts, share our expertise and help to build a body of knowledge about the benefits of natural gas vehicles.

A few examples

• Member of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a global non-profit organization that works with more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Founding member of the Future of Fuels working group, which exists to identify and promote transportation fuel pathways that enhance the sustainability and availability of emerging alternative fuel choices
• A close working relationship with the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF)  and a contributor to their series of studies, which calculates the full climate impact of natural gas to develop  credible and defensible data about natural gas vehicles and fueling stations. This includes a  better understanding the source and quantity of methane emissions along the natural gas supply chain.[1]

2. Innovating to Help OEMs Meet Strict New Targets

To reduce GHG emissions and meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, the commercial vehicle industry faces a steep challenge. Original Equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need to find cost-effective ways to reduce both GHG emissions and conventional emissions such as NOx and particulate matter without compromising vehicle performance and utility.

In the United States, the stringent upcoming EPA/NHTSA Phase Two GHG Regulations 

will introduce new targets for fuel efficiency that will shift the burden of compliance on OEMs away from the engine and onto the vehicle as a whole. These regulations aim to cut GHG emissions by approximately 1 billion metric tons, which equates to the amount of CO₂ produced to power 83.3 million U.S. family homes for a year, and are set to start rolling out in model year (MY) 2021.

Under the draft Phase 2 rule, Westport’s natural gas engine and vehicle technologies are a strong pathway to the long-term reduction of CO₂ emissions that will enable OEMs to exceed the stringent new limits set for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Matt Godlewski, the President of Natural Gas Vehicles for America, agrees.
“As OEMs strive to create vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the new EPA standards, innovative engineering will be crucial. New natural gas technology, such as the engines Westport’s developing, will provide solutions that reduce emissions, are more cost-effective than electrification, and will stay ahead of the curve with upcoming regulations.”

3. Developing solutions: Westport’s Next Gen Products

Our next-generation natural gas engine and vehicle technologies offer compelling energy, environmental, and sustainability benefits, including GHG emissions reduction. Here is a snap shot of some of the exciting products nearing commercialization.

Westport^TM High Pressure Direct Injection Technology (HPDI 2.0)

The new HPDI injector technology which will lower costs, increase performance and offer improved durability

HPDI 2.0 will be optimum for heavy-duty vehicles and has been developed for integration on factory-built original equipment manufacturer (OEM) engines and trucks.

Benefits

• The only natural gas technology capable of delivering high performance and low fuel consumption equivalent to that of current heavy duty diesel engines
• Limits unburnt methane emissions to less than 0.2% of total fuel flow via its highly efficient combustion process

ISL G Near Zero NOx 8.9L engine

The 8.9L Near Zero NOx engine, which is a joint venture with Cummins Inc., is currently in the late stages of field testing

This engine from Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI), which is available to order in 2016, removes a significant source of methane emissions via the use of closed crankcase ventilation (CCV) technology.

Benefits

• A 70% reduction in engine related methane emissions
• Delivers near-zero NOx emissions performance. NOx emissions from the ISL G Neare Zero are so low that an entire fleet of 1,000 buses equipped with this new engine would have the same NOx emissions as a single 1980s era diesel bus
• Meets proposed EPA/NHTSA Phase 2 GHG regulations

Enhanced Spark Ignition (ESI) technology

The ESI engine, which utilizes spark ignited architecture, will run on 100% CNG or LNG

In the past, the peak torque output of spark ignited natural gas engines has been 15-25 per cent lower than comparable diesel engines. This is set to change though as Westport’s ESI technology will allow natural gas engines to outperform diesel for the first time.

Benefits

• Exceeds the power, torque and performance of state-of-the-art diesel engines
• Improved fuel economy via engine downsizing and other engine efficiency improvements
• Allows vehicle OEMs to avoid expensive electrification / hybridization needed with conventional fuels (diesel and gasoline) to be compliant with proposed EPA/NHTSA Phase 2 GHG regulations.

Find out more

We continue to strive to create leading edge technology that exceeds the requirements of legislation, industry codes and standards. Working with our partners, we are committed to delivering low-emission natural gas solutions that will meet our customers’ demands for high-efficiency, high-performance, and low-carbon transportation both now and in the future.

For more information, visit the Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Natural Gas Vehicles section on the Westport website or email Karen. 

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[1]

We anticipate that the module study covering natural gas vehicle and fuel stations will be published in 2016.

Westport Attending COP21 Events in Paris

One of two Canadian companies chosen to showcase innovative climate change solutions 

The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP 21), taking place now, is expected to attract more than 40,000 delegates from 195 countries.

As the political leaders leave Paris and policy makers focus on writing the framework, industry has been gathering to share ideas at Solutions COP21, which is taking place at Paris’ Grand Palais until December 10, 2015.

Wesptort's Nadège Leclercq speaks with Solutions COP21 attendees

Westport was invited to participate in an industry exhibition on innovative solutions to address climate change, presented by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and France’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). To demonstrate the important role that technology and collaboration play in the creation of climate change solutions, WIPO and INPI are presenting a 200 sq. m exhibit and holding discussion forums focused on climate change innovation. Westport is one of only two Canadian companies to be featured alongside more than 60 other innovators selected by WIPO and INPI from 70 countries worldwide.

Feature Focus - James Saunders: "Never Stop Asking Why"

As a Life Cycle Emissions Analyst, James Saunders says one of the most important skills to accomplishing his work is maintaining a child-like curiosity and constantly asking “why.”

James analyzes the environmental benefits of different types of new and existing Westport technology. Translation: he looks at how a Westport product works, why it works the way it does, its benefits and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“I look at how we can use energy in a more efficient and responsible way,” he says. “I see natural gas a way to do that, and a stepping stone to doing that with a lower carbon footprint.”

James works on a wide range of Westport technology, including high pressure direct injection (HPDI), spark-ignited technologies and combustion technologies.

He works with the advanced technology and strategy teams at Westport and also liaises with engineers from Westport’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners, bringing his mechanical engineering skills and sustainability expertise to every project. He collaborates with cryogenic and service engineers, among others, running calculations, experiments and completing technology analysis.

James Saunders, Westport Life Cycle Emissions Analyst:
"I look at how we can use energy in a more efficient and responsible way."

His interest in clean energy research was born at UBC’s Clean Energy Research Centre, where he completed his doctorate in optical diagnostic techniques applied to high temperature fuel cell technologies.

Westport Participates in CAFEE Emissions Study

By Karen Graham & James Saunders

Natural gas vehicles are on the cusp of spurring one of the largest shifts in on-road transportation fuels, but the market is developing and there is much to learn about the economic, environmental and energy security impacts of such a shift. To help answer a critical question – what is the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) impact of large-scale deployment of natural gas vehicles? – Westport has joined an important, multi-partner study. Initiated by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and conducted by the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE) at West Virginia University (WVU), this research is co-sponsored by fuel producers, providers, manufacturers and fleet operators and will measure the methane leakage from various elements of the natural gas value chain for commercial and heavy duty on-road transportation.

This “pump to wheels” study is the second study of a five-module research effort coordinated by the EDF on the impacts of methane leakage along a range of pathways from the well to end uses along the fuel chain. Details of the study may be found on the West Virginia University website. The results will be peer reviewed, and a report is expected to be released in late 2013 or early 2014.

Westport is participating in the EDF study to advance understanding of the GHG emission reduction benefits of commercial and heavy duty natural gas vehicles and fueling stations. Studies like this, with a range of industry partners like Shell, Volvo, Westport, Cummins Westport and fleet operators offer the opportunity to collect data under real-world operating conditions. WVU’s involvement means that the findings will be rigorously peer-reviewed and will contribute to academic and industry knowledge.