Cummins Westport C Gas Plus engine achieves Euro 3 certification with universal natural gas fuel qualities

VANCOUVER, June 27 - Cummins Westport Inc., a joint venture of Cummins Inc.and Westport Innovations Inc.announced today that its low-emissions C Gas Plus engine has achieved Euro 3 certification with universal natural gas fuel qualities.

To obtain universal fuel certification, an engine must demonstrate emissions at or below the Euro 3 standard when tested with natural gas compositions at both ends of a broad quality range, including a high-energy and a low-energy fuel. The emissions test is conducted without manual adjustment to the engine to accommodate for the variation in fuel compositions. The C Gas Plus is equipped with electronics and sensors that automatically adjust to such variations and can operate even if the natural gas composition is as low as a Methane number of 65 - lower than any other engine in this class.

"This level of certification is very convenient for vehicle owners because the C Gas Plus can operate on the full range of natural gas fuels found within the European Community," said Hugh Foden, President of Cummins Westport Inc. "This certification, combined with U.S. certification obtained a year ago, provides the C Gas Plus with the broadest available range of emissions compliance for global markets."

The self-adjusting feature of the C Gas Plus can prevent engine damage or loss of performance that might otherwise result from variations in fuel composition. The ability of the C Gas Plus to respond to changes in fuel quality is important because natural gas is not a refined fuel. Its composition can vary by region and even within the same region on a seasonal basis.

With the C Gas Plus the vehicle operator does not need to search for a specific quality of fuel to ensure that the vehicle produces the certified emissions and performance ratings. Neither is there a requirement for the operator to either manually switch or fine-tune the engine if the fuel quality changes. The 8.3-liter Cummins Westport C Gas Plus, with up to 280 horsepower is used in urban buses and trucks. Since its North American launch in June 2001 it has become the leading alternative fuel engine for U.S. transit buses. Cummins Westport's initial European target markets are Germany, France and Britain.

In the certification test, the C Gas Plus demonstrated exceptionally good results for the two sensitive urban emissions, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). On low-energy fuel, NOx emissions were 2.2 grams per kilowatt-hour. This approaches the Euro 5 (2008) standard of 2 grams and is far below the Euro 3 standard of 5 grams and the Euro 4 (2005) standard of 3.5 grams. On both fuel qualities, PM emissions were just 0.004 grams per kilowatt hour, well below the Euro 3 standard of 0.10 grams and the Euro 4/Euro 5 standard of 0.02 grams.

Cummins is a global power leader in engines, electrical power generation systems and related technologies. Westport Innovations is the leading developer of natural gas fuel systems for diesel engines. Cummins Westport, formed in 2001, develops and markets low-emissions alternative fuel engines manufactured by Cummins. The C Gas Plus is manufactured by Cummins in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.