Cummins Westport gets LNG funding from DOE

Natural gas engine maker Cummins Westport has won a $447,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop ways to improve heavy-duty vehicle fuel pump and storage technology for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Cummins Westport said the goal of the one-year program is to develop an integrated fuel tank and pump system for vehicles fueled with LNG: a fuel which must be maintained at minus 260 degrees F. The project also seeks to have the on-board storage system eliminate the need for pressure-increasing equipment at LNG refueling stations, improving their reliability and decreasing their cost, the company said. DOE added that the funding is part of an effort to expand the use of LNG for heavy-duty trucks and buses to lessen U.S. dependency on imported oil.