Westport Innovations Inc., a global leader in natural gas engines, today announced that Volvo Car Group unveiled its new Volvo V60 Bi-Fuel car in conjunction with the NGV 2013 Gothenburg event being held from June 11 to 13 at the Swedish Exhibition Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. Sales for the new product will start in October 2013 in Sweden.
“Demand for natural gas vehicles in Sweden is expected to increase in response to the pending extension of the Government of Sweden alternative fuel tax incentive program,” said Ian Scott, Executive Vice President, Westport. “The launch of this product provides a new option for corporate and municipal fleet customers.”
The new Volvo V60 Bi-Fuel car, with excellent green credentials, runs on either compressed natural gas (CNG)/biomethane or petrol (gasoline), and is a sporty estate car. With a powerful 213 horsepower engine, the Bi-Fuel system offers a total driving range of 1,120 kilometers and when renewable CNG (biomethane) is used as a vehicle fuel, greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced compared to petrol. The new V60 will expand Volvo Car Group’s Bi-Fuel product line.
Westport and Volvo Car Group are currently in discussions to expand the Volvo V60 Bi-Fuel car into other markets.
Since 2009, Westport – the sole supplier of natural gas fuel systems to Volvo Car Group – has developed and installed natural gas systems for the Volvo V70 estate car at a facility located inside Volvo’s main production centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. Natural Gas Vehicles, a Global Strategic Business Report, projects that the number of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in Sweden will triple between 2010 and 2018, from 31,179 to 92,657.
Westport Innovations Inc. is a leading global supplier of proprietary solutions that allow engines to operate on clean-burning fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, and renewable natural gas (RNG) fuels such as landfill gas and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Westport technology offers advanced LNG fueling systems with direct injection natural gas engine technology for heavy-duty vehicles such as highway trucks and off-road applications such as mining and rail. Westport’s joint venture with Cummins Inc., Cummins Westport Inc. designs, engineers and markets spark-ignited natural gas engines for North American transportation applications such as trucks and buses. Westport is also one of the global leaders for natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel systems technology, design, and components in passenger cars, light-duty trucks and industrial applications such as forklifts. To learn more about our business, visit our website or subscribe to our RSS feed at www.westport.com, or follow us on Twitter @WestportDotCom.
