Environmental sustainability is one of the most important challenges that the powertrain industry must tackle. With the aspiration to achieve air quality improvement and the reduction of heavy-duty vehicles’ impact on climate change, FPT Industrial is showcasing its Cursor 13 NG EVO Prototype during its Tech Day 2018 event.
The Brand is a leader in the Natural Gas segment, with more than 40,000 Natural Gas (NG) engines sold worldwide in the last 20 years. Taking advantage of its experience, FPT Industrial started the Cursor 13 NG EVO R&D project with the aim to develop a highly innovative direct injection system for the next generation of Heavy-Duty Natural Gas engines. It is a user-friendly 100% Natural Gas mono-fuel engine, not requiring Diesel nor Urea refill systems. Moreover, it adopts a simple after treatment, a 3-way catalyst without DPF, SCR and EGR.
The new positive ignition NG engine can improve brake thermal efficiency, increase torque and rated power, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, have all improved by 10% when compared to the NG baseline engine. During tests, the FPT Industrial engine reached a performance of 370 kW @ 1,900 rpm and 2,200 Nm @ 1,000 rpm. The fuel consumption also proved to be well below the target of 200g/kWh in a large area of the engine’s operating map. Overall, the Cursor 13 NG EVO can reach an efficiency of 41%.
The Cursor 13 NG EVO concept integrates different components to achieve these results and is supported by state-of-the-art simulation tools for hardware selection and optimization, as well as a single cylinder engine for testing and calibration. Among the main features, the concept has a specific cylinder head featuring a pent-roof combustion chamber with tumble intake ports, designed for optimal positive-ignition combustion; a fuel direct injection system, which brings advantages such as higher specific engine power output and better and more flexible control of fuel mixture. The latter results in an overall emission reduction during transient operations, contributing to better fuel economy. Moreover, the Cursor 13 NG EVO components include a high-pressure cooled EGR circuit, which helps reduce throttling losses at partial load; and a Variable Valve Timing system, that uses camphaser technology to achieve the best phasing conditions, volumetric efficiency and turbulence level in every operating condition, thus reducing fuel consumption.
FPT Industrial On-Road Natural Gas portfolio
FPT Industrial is also presenting its complete Natural Gas line-up for On-Road applications. Today, the Brand has an engine portfolio that ranges from 3.0 to 12.9 liters of displacement and power from 100 to 338 kW, covering light and medium commercial vehicles, buses and trucks.
Natural Gas is the most sustainable solution that is immediately viable and cost-effective. Gas engines have a competitive Total Cost of Ownership and low pump cost, while also delivering all the advantages of traditional thermal engines, including reliability. Natural Gas can also lead the industry to a green future, since methane can be generated as a renewable fuel by recycling organic waste, reducing CO2 emissions nearly to zero.
All FPT Industrial Natural Gas engines use stoichiometric combustion to generate their power. The company has more than 20 years of experience with this technology, which has proved to be a viable and cost-efficient solution to comply with the Euro VI emission standards. Also, for more flexibility, each engine from the FPT Industrial NG portfolio can run on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), starting from “methane number” 70, as well as biomethane.
Cursor 13 NG
Launched in 2017, the Cursor 13 NG is the most powerful 100% Natural Gas engine available on the market, delivering maximum power of 338 kW (460 hp) @ 1900 rpm and maximum torque of 2000 Nm @ 1100 rpm. It is the first purely NG engine on the market specifically developed to guarantee the reliability necessary for long-haul missions.
The engine’s CO2 emission level is 9% lower than that of Diesel and can reach almost zero with biomethane. Cursor 13 NG allows a 98% Particulate Matter reduction and 48% lower NOx emissions when compared to Euro VI Diesel engines. Moreover, the engine provides fuel cost savings of 30%-40% compared to the Cursor 460 hp Diesel engine for long haul applications.
Thanks to a compact and maintenance-free ATS, the stoichiometric combustion technology contributes to a more compact solution, providing an optimized payload and space availability on the truck. As a result, it is possible to install larger fuel tanks on the vehicle to extend the mission range.
Cursor 9 NG
With a displacement of 8.7 liters, the Cursor 9 NG delivers maximum power of 294 kW (400 hp) @ 2000 rpm and torque up to 1700 Nm @ 1200 rpm. With stoichiometric combustion, the engine emissions are lower than Euro VI limits.
The six-cylinder engine is the ideal solution for applications such as heavy haulage, garbage collection and city and intercity transportation.
Besides low emissions, the Cursor 9 NG provides reliability, performance and class-leading fuel consumption. Launched in 2016, it was the first alternative-fuel engine specifically designed for industrial transportation with diesel-like performance.
NEF N60 Natural Gas
From the NEF family, the N60 NG is the most compact and efficient solution for buses, coaches and trucks from 6 to 18 tons. The 6-cylinder, 6-liter engine can reach maximum power of 150 kW (204 hp) @ 2700 rpm and maximum torque of 750 Nm @1400 rpm with any load, on any route.
Compared to the Diesel version, the N60 NG saves up to 30% of the fuel cost. Its reliability and easy serviceability contribute to low maintenance costs, and the oil change intervals reach up to 30,000 km.
F1 C Natural Gas
The F1 C Natural Gas is the best-selling NG engine for light commercial vehicles, as it offers the same robustness and reliability as a Diesel engine. The 3-liter engine provides maximum power of 100 kW (136 hp) and maximum torque of 350 Nm.
The F1 C NG was launched in 2006 and re-engineered in 2017 to include more technological innovations. It can reduce costs by up to 35% and, when compared to similar competitor products, it delivers higher torque, better transient response, lower noise and vibration and more durability.