The introduction in 1992 of an

American-made truck with a

fully factory-installed/warranted liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

engine represents another “Ford first”

in the alternative fuel arena. Now the

company has introduced an LPGpowered F-700, a medium/heavyduty truck. According to Tom Steckel,

Ford’s medium-duty marketing manager, Ford’s latest sales figures

already prove the alternative fuel 

F-700’s popularity. With a little more

than 10 months of the model year

finished, Ford has produced 1600

units and ordered 600 more, for a

total of 2200 units. That’s triple the

number of LPG units produced and

ordered at the same time last year. In

addition, the possibility of applying

federal and state tax credits is being

investigated.

Cummins B 5.9G Natural Gas

Engine Debuts

Cummins Engine Company has

started producing its B 5.9G sixcylinder natural gas engine, aimed at

a truck market that ranges from pickups to trucks with a GVW of 20,000

lb. The engine, based on a 5.9-L

diesel, produces 195 horsepower (hp)

at a governed speed of 2800 rpm, and

peak torque of 420 lb ft at 1600 rpm.

It is turbocharged, with charge air

cooling, a watercooled turbocharger,

and an electronically controlled

wastegate. It utilizes a closed loop

electronic control system with 

electronic energy ignition. Equipped

with a suitable catalytic converter,

Cummins says it will meet California

Air Resources Board Ultra Low

Emissions Vehicle standards.

Cummins describes the combination of control systems used on 

the B 5.9G as second-generation 

technology. 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

California Considers

Fuel Specifications ..............2

New Ultra-Safe LPG

Fueling Nozzle.....................2

CNG 18-Wheeler

Proves Efficient....................3

Alternative Fuel Alliance

Forms...................................3

Volume 4, Number 1

Ford Liquefied Petroleum Gas-Powered F-700

May Set Sales Records

Ford’s LPG-powered F-700 is proving popular

Photo courtesy of Ford Heavy Truck Marketing
The six-cylinder, two-valve-percylinder engine operates on a closely

controlled lean-burn strategy that

uses a higher air-to-fuel ratio than

stoichiometric. This reduces oxides

of nitrogen (NOx) levels and results

in lower fuel consumption. Cummins

says the electronic closed-loop system is essential to maintain the lean

burn strategy through a wide variety

of operating conditions and variations

in fuel quality. The B 5.9G follows

the L10-240G natural gas engine,

now widely used in trucks and buses.

Slated for development are C8.3G

and M11G natural gas-powered

engines, all based on the equivalent

diesels.

California Considers

Compressed Natural Gas

and Liquefied Petroleum

Gas Engine Fuel

Specifications

The California Division of

Weights and Measures is soliciting

industry input to help establish labeling and quality specifications for

CNG and LPG sold as engine fuel.

State law requires the agency to

adopt and enforce performance and

driveability standards for alternative

fuels marketed for commercial use.

Industry guidance is being sought to

ensure the standards finally adopted

will be compatible with national standards and no unusual regulations will

be proposed.

Environmental Protection

Agency to Take More

Flexible Approach to 

State Clean Air Plans

A more flexible Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) policy on

Clean Air Act implementation will

continue to require states to commit

to emissions reductions, but would

allow delays in making additional

reductions until emissions modeling

becomes more definitive. In

September 1994, the EPA said states

could submit state implementation

plans (SIPS) if they would meet only

80% of established emissions standards. A group of governors and state

environmental leaders asked the EPA

to rescind the 80% rule and approve

ozone SIPs if the states provide a

detailed strategy for meeting the

goals. The new EPA approach will

consider a 1995 SIP complete even if

it does not completely meet the

established emissions standards.

New Ultra-Safe LPG

Fueling Nozzle Introduced 

A new LPG refueling gas nozzle,

the Sealmaster, has been introduced

by Gogas Proprietary, Ltd., of

Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary

of Shell Australia. Some call the

product the safest gas nozzle of its

type in the world. The nozzle has a

sliding seal designed to eliminate

leaks caused by incorrect or loose

connections and a ratchet interlock

devised to prevent accidental

unscrewing when the trigger is

engaged. The Sealmaster is designed

to stop all LPG discharge to the

atmosphere during filling and to

allow only a minimal discharge of

gas from its safety vent holes after

the tank is filled but before the 

nozzle is removed.

2 Alternative Fuels In Trucking — Volume 4, Number 1

This converted CNG engine performs efficiently and emits reduced 

levels of NOx.

Photo courtesy of Vinyard Engine Systems, Inc.
Compressed Natural GasPowered 18-Wheeler

Operates Efficiently,

Produces Low Emissions

A Cummins NTC 350-hp diesel

engine, converted to dedicated CNG

power by Vinyard Engine Systems,

Inc., of San Antonio, Texas, performed efficiently while reducing

NOx emissions by more than 70%.

The converted engine uses a state-ofthe-art electronic technology

(a closed-loop engine management

system to equal diesel power and

torque, while providing high efficiency and low operating temperatures.

The truck is a 1985 Freightliner used

by the Los Angeles County

Sanitation District to haul waste

sludge. Blue Skies NGV Conversion

Co., of Ontario, California, performed the conversion with money

made available by the South Coast

Air Quality Management District.

Wisconsin Continues to

Support Alternative Fuel

Vehicles

The state of Wisconsin has made

available more than $180K to provide for the conversion of 99 vehicles

for use by 17 municipalities. For this

phase of the program, 32 will run on

CNG and 67 on LPG. Since the program was started in 1991, more than

$660K has been granted for 345

alternative fuel vehicles. Participants

are required to participate in userconvenience surveys, life-cycle costing, and emissions testing at the

newly installed Alternative Fuels

Laboratory at the University of

Wisconsin Milwaukee. See

Alternative Fuels in Trucking,

Volume 3, Number 4.

Alternative Fuel Groups

Show United Front under

Alternative Fuels Action

Individual alternative fuel organizations have formed an ad-hoc

alliance, known as Alternative Fuels

Action (AFA), to promote use of

alternative fuels and to present a

strong unified voice to Congress.

Members include the Natural Gas

Vehicle Coalition, the Propane

Vehicle Council, the American

Methanol Institute, the Electric

Transportation Coalition, the

American Soybean Association, 

the Clean Fuels Development

Coalition, and the American Biofuels

Association. The AFA sent each

member of Congress a letter stating

that although individual members

support specific alternative fuels, the

nation as a whole will benefit from a

reduced dependence on petroleum

fuels. The key message to Congress

is to keep the Clean Air Act and

Energy Policy Act intact.

Alternative Fuels In Trucking — Volume 4, Number 1 3
Volume 4, Number 1

René Texeira, Editor

Linda Bolander, Graphic Designer

Alternative Fuels in Trucking is published quarterly

by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory. The newsletter is written by the

American Trucking Association Foundation’s

(ATAF’s) Trucking Research Institute.

The aim of Alternative Fuels in Trucking is to

inform fleet owners and operators, equipment suppliers, government officials, and other interested parties

about important developments in the use of alternative

fuels in heavy-duty trucks. Suggestions and comments

are welcome and may be directed to the National

Alternative Fuels Hotline at 1-800-423-1DOE. Views

expressed by guest authors are their own, and not

those of ATAF, DOE, or NREL.

NREL/TP-425-7630

Summer 1995

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper

containing at least 50% wastepaper, including

20% postconsumer waste

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY •

U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Office of Transportation Technologies