More DOE Support for NGVs in Our Future

On July 12, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 13 new projects to advance natural gas vehicle (NGV) technologies, all in light-duty applications, through its Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E).

Aimed specifically at new developments for natural gas tanks and potential home-fueling, the natural gas industry can only be pleased that Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman has said:

“These projects could transform America’s energy infrastructure and economy by utilizing domestic energy sources to power our vehicles…”

While the rationale behind funding many of the early-stage projects is their risk level for private investment, the DOE sees real potential for NGVs in America’s future and is prepared to invest in them.

Clearly demand for NGVs is increasing. And now, not only the DOE, but others are encouraged to tackle the passenger vehicle market.

The projects follow others that ARPA-E, launched by President Barack Obama in 2009, has proven successful by supporting. Many of its projects secured private capital after initial funding from ARPA-E.

Westport Innovations has benefit from DOE support over the years, and the success of its technology in all markets is proof positive that research support can ultimately translate into commercial application. Initially focused on the heavy-duty markets, Westport has expanded in a big way into light-duty, targeting fleets initially, but also the average consumer.

In passenger vehicles alone, Westport LD has acquired global NGV system and component operations in Australia, Italy and Sweden, launched its new Westport WiNG Power System this spring for Ford F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks, and secured a relationship with General Motors to develop two different combustion, controls and emissions approaches to natural gas engines.

The DOE also sponsored early research that helped in the development of many new natural gas resources in the U.S. The NGV technology projects support its efforts to act on President Obama’s call for “the safe, responsible development of the near 100-year supply of U.S. natural gas resources, which has the potential to support more than 600,000 American jobs,” according to the DOE.

Not likely that any NGV enthusiast will argue these are all great steps forward to a more energy independent future. Natural gas for transportation is here today – and here to stay for a good, long while.

Employee Spotlight: Louisville’s Charismatic Vehicle Porter

Archie, Westport LD vehicle porter, is ready to have fun while inspecting trucks for Westport WiNG™ Power System assembly. When the new trucks from the Ford plant nearby arrive at the Westport Kentucky Integration Center, he performs the exterior and interior inspection to ensure each truck has all basic functions before its natural gas fuel system is installed.

Like many Westport employees, Archie comes to Westport with an interesting history. Archie has retired from what he calls his “regular business” in Louisville, where he had a 30-year career in the radio business including radio station management.

Born and raised in Louisville as one of eight siblings, Archie has raised his own family there, now complete with grandchildren. Despite these deep roots at home, he has traveled all over the U.S. with his gospel group, Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy (whose amazing gospel sound can be heard on any of their 17 albums!). He says the most interesting place to perform was a large church in Las Vegas, where they entertained and rang in the New Year back in ‘04 and will likely return another year.

Archie enjoys being a part of the Westport LD operation now in Louisville and seeing the finished products out the door. He says, “My passion now is being a great employee and part of a success that I know Westport is going to have.” And Westport is very glad to have your expertise and enthusiasm, Archie, to contribute to that success.

Grand Opening of the Westport Kentucky Integration Center (WKIC)

One June 26th the Westport Kentucky Integration Center (WKIC) celebrated its official grand opening with staff, distinguished guests, and members of the automotive community. The facility, right next to the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant, is the assembly center for the WiNG™ Power System, which integrates into Ford F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks to enable them to run on both gasoline and CNG (bi-fuel).

(L-R: Mike Biagi, John LaPetz, George Burgess, Carolyn Tandy, Dr. Ted Smith, Ian Scott and John Howell)

Several Westporters and local dignitaries gathered inside the plant for the official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. The establishment of WKIC marks not only an investment in the Louisville community and growing automotive industry, but also a visible demand for natural gas vehicles that help reduce the U.S.’s dependency on foreign oil.

Fun Fact: The Mayor of Louisville officially proclaimed June 26 as Westport LD Ribbon Cutting Day!



By opening the facility right across from the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant, the trucks can easily be sent to the WKIC to be fitted with the components required to allow them to run on both fuels and then returned to Ford for distribution to authorized dealerships.

Thank you to the city of Louisville for the warm welcome, and to all those who visited us on our opening day!

Where in the World is Westport WiNG? Driver Profiles

Three Westport employees take to the road on May 21st driving the bi-fuel Ford F250 equipped with a Westport WiNG power system from Detroit to NYC using only its compressed natural gas (CNG) tank.
Here's a little more about our road trip crew:

John

John's role leading marketing and business development for Westport LD has his main focus right now on the Westport WiNG power system featured in Ford F250 and F350 bi-fuel trucks launching this spring. He's leaving his car parked at home for a week to drive one of the Ford F250 bi-fuel trucks equipped with the Westport WiNG power system from Detroit to NYC using only the CNG tank.
With over 30 years in the automotive industry, marketing globally, John clearly enjoys working in the sector. He is especially interested now in the transformation of the industry from purely petroleum-based to alternative fueled cars.
When at home, John keeps busy cooking, celebrating, golfing, hunting and working in his workshop. Group dinners are frequently on his calendar with his family, his huge extended family or friends.

Nicole

Nicole’s leaving her walking shoes (her usual mode of transport) and hitting the road driving the bi-fuel Ford F250 equipped with the Westport WiNG power system from Detroit to NYC using only compressed natural gas (CNG). As a communications professional for Westport, Nicole finds herself in all sorts of places talking to various stakeholders, but this week’s road trip will be her first at Westport.
Nicole enjoys trying new restaurants (pizza is a favourite!), spending time with her family and watching The Amazing Race while eating popcorn. No TV required this week; she’s on a Westport WiNG amazing race of her own!

Alissa

Alissa wears many hats in her role as executive assistant, coordinating and attending marketing and sales events at Westport LD. Parking her SUV at home, Alissa is excited to drive Detroit to NYC behind the wheel of the bi-fuel Ford F250 pickup equipped with the Westport WiNG power system – using only the compressed natural gas (CNG) tank.
Spending much of her time outside of work with her husband and her pets, Alissa also keeps in touch with her mom now living on the other side of the country. Otherwise Alissa can be found, as she puts it, “…escaping reality with a good book, movie or television show.” And dark chocolate is probably involved too.

Where in the World is Westport WiNG?

The buzz you’ve seen on twitter is true: we’re taking it to the open roads! From May 21-24 our team will be driving a Ford F-250 Super Duty bi-fuel pick-up featuring the Westport WiNG™ Power System from Detroit to New York, running entirely on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Why, you ask? Our team needs to be in New York City for the Westport Innovations annual Investors’ Day on May 24; but instead of flying there, we see this as the perfect opportunity to showcase the WiNG-powered Ford F250, and meet our friends and fans along the way. We’ve planned stops along the route where you can come visit us, learn more about the bi-fuel truck, and even give it a test drive! Since Westport will start delivery of the trucks later this year, this will be the first opportunity for many people to see and drive the truck. This isn’t just about showing off the truck, though, it’s also about promoting the use of CNG as a vehicle fuel. By driving the entire route on CNG we hope to demonstrate how easy (with a bit of planning) and affordable it is to use as an alternative to gasoline.

Throughout the 700 mile journey our road trip crew will be documenting their experience driving the super duty bi-fuel pick-up. The three Westporters who will be taking turns behind the wheel are Nicole Adams, Alissa Marczewski, neither of whom has ever driven the truck before, and John Howell. They’ll be recording the entire experience on video, giving our blog readers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers the chance to see first-hand what it’s like to drive a bi-fuel truck for the first time (so we expect to see some shaky video at the start!). Their video diaries will not only record their impressions and experiences along the way, they will also demonstrate the capabilities of the truck and how easy it is to fuel up with CNG. In addition to video, the team will be sharing photos and Tweeting throughout the trip.

Want to come say hello? Here’s where we’ll be stopping:

• Valley Ford Truck Sales, Cleveland OH – May 21 from noon to 3 p.m.
• SARTA-Clean Energy, Canton OH – May 21 from 4 to 5 p.m.
• Allegheny Ford Truck Sales, Pittsburgh PA – May 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• John Kennedy Ford, Pottstown PA – May 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Times Square, New York City, NY – May 24 from 1 to 5 p.m.

If you’re planning on visiting Nicole, Alissa and John at any of these stops, please RSVP to media@westport.com so they know who to expect (and so we can order enough barbecue, too!).

Stay tuned as we share more about our road trip crew and updates from the road starting at 8 a.m. on May 21st!

From ABC12 News – Businesses are Switching to Natural Gas Vehicles

This news segment from ABC12 news showcases of the growing trend in truck fleets towards Natural Gas. John Lapetz, Managing Director, North America Vehicle Programs, Westport LD explains the fuel cost-savings that is driving the switch to the cleaner-burning, domestically available fuel.

The segment interviews drivers of the WiNG™ powered Ford F-250, who discuss their experiences switching from a gasoline vehicle to a bi-fuel CNG one.

Fuel Efficiency: Getting Anxious About Range Anxiety in Light-Duty

We previously blogged about the issue of Range Anxiety in heavy-duty trucking applications, and the reality of range limitations. Expanding on that post, we want to address light-duty applications, particularly in fleet passenger vehicles.

In our initial Range Anxiety post, we mentioned that range is the distance a vehicle can travel before refueling, when it’s carrying a full load of fuel under average conditions. Range anxiety is the fear that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination and would leave the vehicle’s occupants stranded.

Anxiety levels are likely to vary based CNG station density: some parts of North America have very limited CNG availability, so anxiety is understandable. Pakistan, on the other hand, with 61% of the vehicle population running on CNG with bi-fuel capability (IANGV link), must have high CNG station density, and so, less range anxiety issues.

Bi-fuel vehicles such as the Westport powered Volvo V70 (link) and  Ford F-250/F350 (link) have  greatly reduced or eliminated range anxiety, because they can switch to gasoline if the vehicle runs out of CNG. Alan Welch, Westport LD Senior Director, Advanced Technology and Engineering, explains that for bi-fuel vehicles many people find that a CNG range of 250 to 500 km is enough. “Historically, about 70 percent of CNG passenger vehicle sales by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in North America were bi-fuel, the remainder being monofuel,”  Alan says.

The Volvo V70, for example, has a minimum range of 250km in city driving, and up to 300km to350km when driving in less congested areas such as highways. The Ford F-250/F-350 powered by the Westport WiNG™ Power System is also bi-fuel, and while the exact range depends on tank size, it’s expected to get between 300km-500km depending on tank size, route or driving patterns (for instance, city driving versus highway driving), and driver behaviour (studies by the DoE show that aggressive drivers easily consume 33 percent more fuel).

Just like heavy-duty and long haul trucking applications, range is greatly affected by factors like weather, terrain, speed, driver habits and load. While these range limitations are controlled by efficient route planning in the heavy-duty applications, the use of bi-fuel vehicles and the ability to switch from CNG to gasoline should reduce the range anxiety in drivers of light-duty vehicles.  

Additional resources/data: 

Wikipedia

IANV.org

KCFC Members Tour Future Westport Facility Site

 The future Louisville home of a Westport LD assembly centre had a visit from Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition representatives in March.  In May, the centre will begin installing the Westport WiNG™ Power System on Ford F250s and F350s.

Ford pickups will come off the assembly line at the Kentucky Truck Plant on Chamberlain Lane, go directly to Westport LD, and in less than three days be returned to Ford to be shipped out with an installed and fully-warrantied bi-fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) system.   

Zach Thomas, Barry Walker and John Skaggs of LG&E - KU join Craig Duffy of Westport LD looking under the hood at the CNG Bi Fuel system. Westport LD will upfit F250 and 350's.
	Craig Duffy, Westport LD points out specifics with the Westport WiNG system being upfitted on the Ford 250 and 350 pickups in Louisville. Jeff Kaiser and Pete McDonald, Fleet Management, Commonwealth of KY look on.

Westport LD Juniper Engine at Globe 2012

Last week, Westport participated in the transportation pavilion at the GLOBE2012 Tradeshow, showcasing our Westport Light Duty Juniper Engine. Duran Cheung, one of the original engineers to work on the Juniper engine explains how the engine works and what makes it unique:

The Westport Engine featured at GLOBE 2012 is not the typical Cummins-based HD workhorse with which we’ve been traditionally associated. Instead, it’s the 2.4L Juniper Engine from the Westport LD industrial team, a spark-ignited, multi-port injected propane or natural gas engine. This 75 hp, 140 ft-lbs powerplant uses a Hyundai 2.4LiIndustrial engine platform, which is essentially the same block and head as a 2.4L Theta engine found on the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima. Differences include a cast-aluminum intake manifold, the lack of a variable valve timing system for simpler and more robust operation, and hardened valve seats. Fuel system components from OMVL S.p.A., a Westport company, are used to fuel the engine. Development of the fuel system for the engine began in early 2009, and by mid-2010, the first complete Westport LD Industrial engine assemblies were rolling off the line from our assembly center in Busan, South Korea.

So far, this engine is used on over 2,500 Clark forklifts worldwide on their IC-line of trucks, from their C15 model to their C35 line. They’ve reported a significant increase in fuel economy when compared to other engine platforms they’ve used in the past with similar displacement. Also, drivers have reported better performance compared to previous Clark trucks, all while remaining below the strictest Tier 4 EPA emissions levels for large spark ignited off-road engines.

On another application, the engine is being used to power stationary hydraulic pumps in and around the oilfields of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. The engine is mated directly to a hydraulic pump that powers a screw pump to bring up crude oil from reserves underground. End users have reported over a 30% increase in fuel economy when compared to the previous engine platforms being used in a similarly loaded well-site[NA1] . The end customer has been quite pleased with the performance and robustness of the system so far and is currently ordering the stationary engine configuration which has recently gone into production

Westport WiNG™ visits the NTEA Work Truck Show

Last week (March 6-8) the Westport WiNG™ team based in Detroit participated in National Truck Equipment Association’s Work Truck Show. It was a great opportunity to be a part of the largest work truck event in North America, and we saw a lot of interest at the show in alternative fuels, particularly Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The event coincided with the Green Truck Summit, where Steven Chu, head of the US Department of Energy emphasized the benefits of natural gas as an alternative to gasoline and diesel for commercial fleet owners.

Our team had its own booth on the tradeshow floor in addition to being part of Ford’s exhibition booth. The Ford F250 powered by the Westport WiNG Powersystem received a great deal of attention, taking the spotlight in the New York Times Wheels section.

Here’s a brief photo re-cap of our team at the event:

Paul Guaresimo and Arnie Campbell of Westport WiNG on the show floor at NTEA

Setting up at NTEA - Our Bi-fuel CNG truck powered by the Westport WiNG Power System in the Westport booth

Setting up at NTEA: a second Westport truck being prepped in the Ford booth

The Westport WiNG powered Ford F series pick-up getting lots of attention at the Ford booth

Westport Works With Volvo To Make One Of Sweden’s Safest and Most Environmentally Friendly Cars

Last week, the news wires and cyber space in Sweden were buzzing with the release of Folksam’s 2012 list of the country’s safest vehicles. Included was the Volvo V70 Bi-Fuel Wagon, powered by Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sweden AB (AFV), a division of Westport LD.

For the past 15 years, Folksam, a respected insurance company in Sweden, has produced a list of the cars it considers safest and most environmentally friendly, and its list is well-recognized by the media and the public. For 2012, Folksam chose the most efficient cars in each size class from a list of 56 approved models.

Introduced to the market in 2010, the Volvo V70 Bi-Fuel was included on this year’s list as the only Swedish-produced passenger vehicle, and was praised for its combination of safety and environmental benefits.

The V70 Bi-Fuel features a natural gas engine that runs on bio-methane produced by manure or landfill gases, making it the most environmentally friendly gas that a car can use for fuel.

Westport acquired AFV last year. AFV is the sole supplier of natural gas fuel systems to Volvo Car Company (VCC), and actually installs the natural gas systems at facilities located inside VCC’s main production center in Gothenburg.

The Volvo V70 Bi-Fuel vehicle is a popular option for Swedish businesses as drivers can fill up at more than one hundred public natural gas filling stations across the country.

Along with the safety and emissions benefits, corporate and private customers are eligible for tax incentives in Sweden that make natural gas even more economical. The Volvo V70 Bi-Fuel is the second-biggest selling car in its class in Sweden.