12-Liter Low-NOx Natural Gas Engine Operating at Southern California Ports

Total Transportation Services, one of largest drayage trucking companies in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has begun using one of the first Cummins Westport (CWI) ISX12 G low NOx natural gas engines for their trucking operations. Available for order later this year, the 12-liter engine’s emissions will be certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to produce 90 percent less NOx than the current EPA standard for heavy duty engines, and are equivalent to that of a truck powered by electricity from the electrical grid.

“The trucking industry is facing hard choices on how we are going to reduce our emissions impact, especially here in Southern California,” said Victor La Rosa, CEO and President of TTSI. “We believe the quickest and most affordable way to cut our NOx emissions to essentially zero is with the new CWI engine and renewable natural gas. We’ve successfully operated natural gas trucks in the San Pedro ports since the last Clean Trucks program in 2008, and it’s great that we now have a dramatically improved engine and an even cleaner fuel with RNG.”

In 2016 Cummins Westport began full production of the 8.9-liter ISL G low NOx engine, and has shipped engines to bus and refuse truck OEMs. The ISX12 G low NOx engine is based on the 12 liter ISX12 G first introduced in 2012, and will start production early next year.

South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) supported Cummins Westport by providing development funding, recognizing the importance of this technology in helping California reduce emissions from heavy duty trucks. About one-third of California residents live in communities with pollution that exceeds federal standards, according to estimates by CARB.

“We’ve made huge strides in improving air quality around the ports and across our region, but more needs to be done,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer at SCAQMD. “We applaud companies like Cummins Westport and TTSI for their leadership in adopting these technologies and making an immediate positive impact on the environment.”