Kenworth garners innovation award for LNG trucks

Kenworth garners innovation award for LNG trucks Kirkland, Wash.-based truck manufacturer Kenworth received the 2007 Industry Innovation Award from the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute for their T800 alternative fuel vehicles.
   The institute recognized Kenworth for its leadership in developing the liquefied natural gas/diesel hybrid T800 truck.
   Kenworth shares the award with other contributors to the T800 project including the firm's Southern California dealer, Inland Kenworth, Clean Energy and Westport Innovations.
   The collaborative effort involved Kenworth T800s being placed into the California port markets of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the busiest container ports in the nation. The Kenworth T800s are equipped with Westport Innovations' LNG fuel system that runs primarily on liquefied natural gas and is installed on the Cummins 15-liter diesel engine. The result is reduced emissions and less reliance on diesel fuel by running the cleaner LNG fuel, Kenworth says.
   The neighboring ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are facing growing scrutiny and criticism over port-related pollution. The two-port complex has been identified as the largest stationary generator of diesel pollution in the Los Angeles basin. Both ports have initiated pollution-control programs that hope to deal with, among other pollution sources, the 15,000 to 20,000 short-haul trucks that service the ports daily.