Benefits of natural gas engines in transportation

Truck on road

Reducing air pollution generated by commercial vehicles is one of the many benefits of natural gas engines. Nested in a valley in the French Alps, the town of Chamonix is known for breathtaking vistas of Mont Blanc, for being the birthplace of modern mountaineering, and, unfortunately, for its terrible air quality. Emissions from passing vehicles are to blame. The town sits by a major road tunnel used by more than a half million heavy vehicles, every year.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the exhaust from all these vehicles could be cleaned up? Chamonix’s residents would appreciate it. So would the countless millions who live in polluted cities.

Natural gas engines use reliable technology

One sure technology to reduce air pollution already exists—natural gas engines. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles with natural gas engines are operating all over the world. They generate almost no emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, or carbon monoxide. Transit systems all over the world have deployed natural gas buses to reduce air pollution.

Natural gas engines are also a great fit for a wide variety of medium and heavy-duty applications, such as garbage collection trucks, delivery trucks and tractor trailers. Natural gas engines have been around for a long time. They are durable, reliable and they have enough power to get the job done.

Natural gas engines are kind to the environment

Natural gas vehicles can help fleets reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a well-to-wheels model developed by Argonne National Laboratory, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles were shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 16% compared to an equivalent vehicle running on gasoline. These well-to wheel models incorporate emissions occurring as a result of the extraction, processing and transportation of fuels.

Natural gas vehicles can also run on renewable natural gas. Renewable natural gas is manufactured using organic waste such as animal manure, sewage sludge or agricultural by-products. Once it is suitably refined, renewable natural gas can be used interchangeably with regular natural gas. Depending on the energy source, the carbon intensity of renewable natural gas can be neutral, or even sub-zero. Switching to renewable natural gas is a great way for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and lower transportation emissions. It can often be done without any capital investment. It’s also a way to act now without waiting for technology that may not be available for several years.

Natural gas presents additional environmental benefits. For example, natural gas can’t spill since it’s lighter than air. It can’t puddle or lead to ground contamination like an oil spill would. You can read more about these often-overlooked benefits of natural gas engines in environmental sustainability.

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Natural gas engines are good for the business financials

Natural gas vehicles can also lead to big savings for businesses. Unlike some vehicles with diesel engines, natural gas vehicles do not require extensive exhaust aftertreatment systems. Many operators spend a lot of time and money maintaining these systems. Secondly, natural gas fuel costs less than gasoline and diesel. In some areas, the retail price of natural gas is less than half of the price of diesel. Natural gas prices are also stable—in North America, average retail prices have remained relatively stable for the past 20 years. This makes it easy for fleets to forecast their monthly and yearly fuel costs.

Switching to natural gas vehicles can also help businesses grow their revenues. Natural gas vehicles reduce transportation emissions, which is an attractive benefit for companies looking for lower carbon options that can help them meet corporate sustainability or ESG (environmental, social, and governance) goals.

Natural gas engines are noticeably quieter than diesel engines, making them an attractive option for service companies, delivery fleets, transit companies and school corporations operating in urban environments. For example, garbage collection companies or private school bus operators bidding for city contracts.

Natural gas engines are the mature, proven, and least disruptive alternative power technology available today

Natural gas vehicles fit current transportation, people and goods movement models. Integrating natural gas trucks into your fleet doesn’t require radical changes in vehicle technology, transportation infrastructure or support networks. Natural gas engines share approximately 80% of the same components as their diesel counterparts, making it easier for mixed fleets to keep parts in stock and easier to train service technicians.

If interested in different fuels, don’t forget to explore natural gas (CNG), LPG, LNG, RNG, and diesel.

The natural gas learning curve isn’t as steep as many people think

When it comes to integrating natural gas vehicles into a commercial or municipal fleet, Cummins Inc. is a trusted partner with more than 30 years of experience making natural gas engines. We maintain deep relationships with channel partners to help customers understand whether natural gas is the right choice for their fleet. We also work directly with the truck OEM, fuel suppliers, fleet maintenance teams, etc. to ensure a smooth integration.

If these benefits sound interesting to you, don’t forget to also check our answers to frequently asked questions about natural gas engines. These answers cover topics such as cost, practicality, and feasibility of integrating natural gas into commercial fleets.

Drivers like driving natural gas trucks

Did you know that drivers prefer the experience of operating natural gas vehicles? You can learn why by reading about how natural gas and diesel engines compare.

Puneet Singh Jhawar

Puneet Singh Jhawar

Puneet Singh Jhawar is the General Manager of the global natural gas business for Cummins Inc. In this role, he is responsible for the product vision, financial management and overall performance of the natural gas business. Over his 14-year career at Cummins, Jhawar has cultivated successful relationships with a number of Cummins’ largest customers. Jhawar has extensive global experience, with roles based in the Middle East, India, Europe and the US.

Cummins Custompaks are being used for water management as Thailand struggles with its water crisis

CustomPak on site

Water crisis

Sixty Cummins Inc. CustomPaks are in service in Thailand as part of a critical water management plan aimed at easing the country’s water crisis – a crisis that has caused enormous economic and social damage and stirred conflict among communities.

Over the past several decades, Thailand has continually faced water problems caused by severe drought. Water reserves in dams and reservoirs are insufficient while water resources are often contaminated with toxins caused by urban communities and the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Severe flooding is a threat, too, at a time when the realities of climate change are hanging over the country.

As a result, the allocation of precious water resources, which must be shared among various stakeholders including new and existing industry, large and small agriculture, and cities and villages has become a flashpoint.

Kittithanapat Engineering Co. (KTP), has been involved in the water management system since 1996, working closely with authorities such as the Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Water Resources, Bangkok Metropolitan Authority and others.

CustomPaks on site

600 hp CustomPaks

To help KTP meet its often urgent requirements, Cummins DKSH (Thailand) has recently supplied 60 Australian-built CustomPaks – 45 powered by Cummins’ X15 engine rated at 600 hp, and 15 powered by the QSL9 rated at 325 hp. These fully self-contained powerpacks are emissions certified to Tier 3.

The CustomPaks are coupled to hydraulically-driven, large-volume submersible water pumps sourced by KTP from US company Moving Water Industries (MWI); KTP is the exclusive distributor in Thailand for these MWI Hydroflo pumps.

Prior to Cummins’ involvement, KTP was using another diesel engine brand but service support wasn’t up to the standard required.

Long-serving KTP engineer Kittisak Thanasoot says Cummins DKSH’s reputation for technical and aftersales support along with the reliability of the Cummins product were a key reason behind KTP’s decision to specify the CustomPaks for the Royal Irrigation Department.

The ability of Cummins DKSH to respond to short delivery times was also important.

“Supplying large quantities of high horsepower diesel engines for emergency situations such as flash flooding can be a challenge for KTP,” says Kittisak Thanasoot.

“Responding to the needs of the government agencies to manage such problems in a timely manner and with least impact on communities, KTP has found the answer in our partnership with Cummins DKSH.”

Power, pride and passion

Parked semi truck

The switch back to Cummins power has been beneficial for iconic New Zealand company Uhlenberg Haulage. It's all about whole-of-life costs.

Uhlenberg Haulage is closing in on 60 years in business, having been founded in 1966 by Mike and Carol Uhlenberg.

Based in Eltham, Taranaki, in New Zealand’s North Island, the operation is today owned and operated by their sons Chris, Daryl and Tony Uhlenberg.

Describing the Uhlenbergs as “old school family truckies”, Daryl talks about the company’s time-honored journey with a definite tone of pride, especially the work of his parents in laying the foundations for what is today an iconic fleet in its own right.

Cummins Inc. made its debut in the Uhlenberg fleet in 1971 with an NH250 powering a second-hand Kenworth K923 used in logging. A second Kenworth, a new W924 with a Cummins NTC335, followed soon after hauling an LPG tanker.

The Uhlenberg operation today comprises 40 prime movers and a variety of trailing gear to cater for the myriad of a jobs the fleet is involved in.

A number of Peterbilts feature in the fleet although Kenworth is now the brand of choice with six new units to be delivered over the next 12 months to cater for business growth.

Cummins’ X15 Euro 5 engine rated at 550 or 600 hp is the preferred power specification, with 18 red engines currently in the fleet.

Uhlenberg family in front of truck

Whole-of-life support

“The switch to Cummins has been a very good experience for us. We have nothing but praise for the Cummins organization,” says Daryl.

“The whole-of-life picture is the key thing for us and we’ve got that nailed with the support we get from Cummins – parts availability, scheduled maintenance, life expectancy and in-frame rebuilds.

“So the red engines turn up, we run them to life, which is 900,000 to 1.2 million kilometers, and then Cummins does an in-frame overhaul in a timely manner. If there’s an issue, parts and support are close by.

“The support we get from Cummins Palmerston North is fantastic, second to none.”

Daryl recently looked under a Kenworth that was in the workshop for a service and was surprised to see no oil leaking from the one-million-kilometer X15. “I remember when I was a fitter we had to wear a raincoat when working under a truck,” he jokes.

Fuel agnostic

Acknowledging that the push to decarbonize is now “very real”, Daryl likes the idea of Cummins’ fuel agnostic concept where one base internal combustion engine, optimized to run on diesel, can also be customized to run on ultra-low and zero-carbon fuels like renewable natural gas and hydrogen.

“My father was a pioneer of linehaul trucking in New Zealand and he always embraced new technology. He was never scared of it,” he says.

“I tend to be a little more cautious but I can see where a 500 hp natural gas or hydrogen engine would work for us in short haul applications,” he admits. “We’re certainly willing to look closely at these alternative fuel technologies when suitable infrastructure is in place.”

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