Kenworth Advances Low Emission Prototype Projects for Southern California Ports

Kenworth is advancing its low/zero emission projects focused on Kenworth T680 day cabs for drayage tractor operation in Southern California ports, which are backed by $9 million in government grants awarded last August.

Kenworth began building a prototype series hybrid-electric T680 day cab designed to produce near-zero-emissions. The truck will use the currently available Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero NOx engine fueled by CNG to generate electrical power. Initial track and road testing is expected to start in the fourth quarter.

The truck will have an electric-only range of approximately 30 miles, and the natural gas system will provide sufficient range for a full day in regional haul applications. Kenworth’s work on this program is supported by a grant of $2.1 million from the U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), with Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) as the prime applicant. Kenworth is also building a prototype fueled by hydrogen.

A third project received $4.8 million in funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), again with the SCAQMD as the prime applicant. Kenworth will build four additional, hybrid-electric T680 day cabs equipped with the Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero NOx engine operating on CNG, and will also support customer field tests of these units in Southern California drayage operations.

“These T680 day cab projects provide an excellent opportunity for Kenworth to develop and advance important technologies that may play a critical role in the trucks of tomorrow,” said Patrick Dean, Kenworth chief engineer. “We look forward to playing a leadership role to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

Kenworth will build its first unit for this project in 2018. Kenworth engineers will be able to make design and system refinements to this 2018 unit based on data collected from this year’s real-world testing of the initial 2017 hybrid-electric T680.

All six prototype T680 day cab drayage tractors, produced as a result of these Kenworth programs, will transport freight from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to warehouses and railyards in the Los Angeles basin.