Westport LD Promotes WiNG Gaseous Fuel Upfits as It Expands to Louisville

Westport LD will install its WiNG brand componentry for gaseous fuels at a new facility in Louisville, Ky.

Westport Innovations is well known in natural gas vehicles for its 15-liter over-the-road engines and smaller, dedicated-natural gas engines via the (just extended) Cummins Westport joint venture.

Now Westport (Booth 5491) is targeting smaller vehicles, with a goal of nationwide sales, including California next year, of its new WiNG power system on natural gas-gasoline bi-fuel Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks with 6.2-liter gaseous-prep engines.

The firm is busily outfitting a facility in Louisville, proximate to the big Ford plant there, for installing its top-notch CNG systems in Ford trucks for ship-through service to selected dealers.

“The trucks will be ready to roll when they reach authorized Ford dealers and the installation will add less than 72 hours to the entire order cycle for a new truck,” Westport said in Indianapolis Tuesday. The trucks will be U.S. EPA-certified this year with California approval for 2013.

Westport LD describes WiNG as “an advanced, integrated, bi-fuel system for passenger and commercial vehicles targeting fleet customers… [which] can also run on ordinary gasoline and offer unparalleled drivability.”

‘Strong Customer Interest Across the Spectrum’

“We’re seeing strong customer interest across the spectrum from fleets of all shapes and sizes for a factory-validated product, as more and more owners understand the economic and operational benefits of a cleaner fuel that’s sourced right here in North America,” Westport LD president Ian Scott said when the system was announced.

“The WiNG system is specifically designed to deliver best-in-class performance, reliability and efficiency,” said John Lapetz, managing director for North American vehicle programs. “Our customers will benefit from the best natural gas technology in the industry along with the confidence and quality of the Ford name and the strength of their dealer network,” Lapetz says in the Westport WiNG announcement.

Ford QVM – Qualified Vehicle Modifier – approval is expected soon.

WiNG systems have been engineered at a new Westport technical facility in Plymouth, Mich., and “will be installed and the trucks will be ready to roll when they reach authorized Ford dealers.”

Westport has made at least three acquisitions in Europe to bolster its light duty NGV capabilities (one of them, Italy’s Emer, is a supplier to Chrysler for its new CNG pickups). And just last week Westport announced a $1.6 million (U.S.) business sale agreement to acquire control technology from Advanced Engine Components (AEC) of Perth, Australia.

Tagged AEC, Emer, Westport LD, Westport WiNG