GM And Westport Innovations Inc. To Develop CNG Engine in 18 Months
With the advance of hybrid technologies in automotive market, and looking at the increasing Gasoline prices, General motors is trying to get into CNG business by developing a light weight natural gas engine by inking a multi-million dollar deal with Westport Innovations Inc. West port innovations is a developer of some famous engines like Cummins Westport.  It is expected that a prototype of the new engine would be developed in next 18 months. The new engine would be a boost in GM’s fortunes in US where it is targeting to give a competition to Honda’s Civic GX.
#-Link-Snipped-#
Westport Engine
The announcement from General motors came after the passing of NatGas bill in US. The bill aims at offering consumers a tax rebate of $7500 who will buy a vehicle operating on natural Gas engines. Earlier the tax rebate was available only on electric hybrids. Â Currently, the CNG market is not so much developed in US, the reason being that there are not many players in this field. Even if Honda Civic GX is the present market leader here and Chrysler is expected to launch its first commercial engine based on natural gas only after 2017, GM can still have an early start.
Honda Civic sports a 1.8 liter, 4 cylinder engine capable of producing 113 Hp power. The one developed by Westport Innovations can be expected to have a cutting edge on Honda. The engine would however be an eco-friendly one, as it will consume compressed natural gas (CNG). GM’s new engine developed by Westport will be a 0.5 liters suitable to a small passenger vehicle. Moreover, it can also be assumed that the new engine would be a hybrid with smaller tank for CNG and the larger one for Gasoline.
All the natural gas market is awaiting to be tapped which is also cheaper by $2/galleon as compared to the gasoline variant. Presently not much development is seen here. There are only 900 fuelling power stations of CNG many of which not for commercial vehicles in whole of US. Natural gas is traditionally only used for domestic purposes with only an exception for Buses and trucks. Once GM will be in market, it is expected to boost the sector and offer a competition to Honda.
Source: Westport Image credit: #-Link-Snipped-#
#-Link-Snipped-#
Westport Engine
The announcement from General motors came after the passing of NatGas bill in US. The bill aims at offering consumers a tax rebate of $7500 who will buy a vehicle operating on natural Gas engines. Earlier the tax rebate was available only on electric hybrids. Â Currently, the CNG market is not so much developed in US, the reason being that there are not many players in this field. Even if Honda Civic GX is the present market leader here and Chrysler is expected to launch its first commercial engine based on natural gas only after 2017, GM can still have an early start.
Honda Civic sports a 1.8 liter, 4 cylinder engine capable of producing 113 Hp power. The one developed by Westport Innovations can be expected to have a cutting edge on Honda. The engine would however be an eco-friendly one, as it will consume compressed natural gas (CNG). GM’s new engine developed by Westport will be a 0.5 liters suitable to a small passenger vehicle. Moreover, it can also be assumed that the new engine would be a hybrid with smaller tank for CNG and the larger one for Gasoline.
All the natural gas market is awaiting to be tapped which is also cheaper by $2/galleon as compared to the gasoline variant. Presently not much development is seen here. There are only 900 fuelling power stations of CNG many of which not for commercial vehicles in whole of US. Natural gas is traditionally only used for domestic purposes with only an exception for Buses and trucks. Once GM will be in market, it is expected to boost the sector and offer a competition to Honda.
Source: Westport Image credit: #-Link-Snipped-#
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