In an endeavour to reduce transportation emissions in California’s most severely polluted regions – the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast Air Basin, the California Energy Commission (CEC) released a $4 million grant funding solicitation July 11 for the research and development of natural gas engines for medium and heavy-duty off-road vehicles (ORVs) supporting the agricultural, construction, industrial, port and cargo sectors.
The solicitation covers ORVs commonly employed for heavy hauling such as those used for waste transport, mining and semi-tractor trailer applications. It also covers items like yard tractors and cranes found at ports and cargo handling areas and is seeking demonstrations of effective emissions reduction.
The Energy Commission has a history of supporting the research and development of advanced natural gas engine technologies, focusing primarily on on-road, heavy-duty vehicles, which are the largest source of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast Air Basins. The solicitation continues that effort by targeting ORVs, the second largest source of these emissions.
Solicitation details are available on the Energy Commission’s website.
(Source: California Energy Commission)
