A technologically advanced fuel tank for liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks was unveiled Monday by British Columbia-based Westport Innovations Inc., which claims its latest advances allow fueling for even the largest LNG vehicles on a single tank with expanded range.

Westport said the fueling system would be available in mid 2013 in 120-and 150-gallon sizes, optimized for spark-ignited (SI) engines. The proprietary technology would remove the current need to have two fuel tanks on SI engine NGV trucks. In a single-tank configuration, the systems can run from 350-450 miles on a tank of fuel; it’s double in the dual tanks. The single LNG tank equals three compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks for comparable range.

Offering both cold and warm LNG fueling, Westport said with the cold LNG option, vehicle range can be extended by 10%. The system is flexible enough to fuel either SI or other types of natural gas truck engines. The same LNG fueling structure supports both.

Noting the early testing of the system was on a Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine in a Peterbilt 384 truck, Steve Anderson, Westport HD vice president of business development, said it proved “to have excellent performance characteristics and superior results on a single tank.”

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