LAS VEGAS (June 10, 2009) In response to the growing need for low-emission alternative fuel vehicles, Mack Trucks, Inc. announced today the availability of natural gas-powered engines for refuse applications. Mack officials made the announcement at a news conference here during WasteExpo 2009.
The MACK® TerraPro Low Entry model is now available for order with heavy-duty natural gas engines supplied by Cummins Westport. The TerraPro Cabover model will be available later. The 9-liter Cummins Westport ISL G is rated at 320 hp, can use compressed (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), and has a three-way catalytic converter to meet EPA™10 emissions standards.
We™re bringing the Mack tradition of application excellence to alternative fuel vehicles, said Dennis Slagle, Mack president and CEO. The natural gas products we™ve now brought to market will extend our position of leadership in refuse into this emerging segment.
Groot Industries, Inc., a major waste hauler in the Midwest, has already placed an order for MACK TerraPro Low Entry models with ISL G engines. The 20 units will run on CNG and are scheduled to go into service in the Chicago area by the end of the year.
Refuse companies these days are expected to be environmental leaders in their communities, said Brian Curry, director of fleet and facilities for Groot Industries. We look for ways to serve customers with the cleanest and most efficient trucks available, which is why we were so interested in Mack™s natural gas solution. Our Mack TerraPros will help us reduce emissions and our carbon footprint, as well as lessening the U.S.™s dependence on foreign oil.
We™re very pleased to have the first of these new CNG Mack TerraPros, Curry said. And since they™re factory-built and come with factory support and warranty, we have even more confidence they will deliver the performance and durability Groot demands.
Mack officials have seen a growing number of municipalities mandate alternative fuel vehicles as a condition of contracts with refuse haulers.
Natural gas has a number of significant benefits, said Tom Kelly, Mack senior vice president of product portfolio management. It burns very cleanly, there is an abundant supply here in North America, and it™s comparable to diesel in terms of cost over the life of the vehicle.
Kelly also emphasized that the Mack trucks have been specifically engineered and built to operate on natural gas an important advantage over aftermarket conversions. The ISL G engine is installed on the production line at the Mack Macungie Assembly Operations plant. And each truck comes with a full factory warranty. This helps ensure a higher level of performance and reliability in a severe service application like refuse collection.
Mack has been a leader in natural gas vehicle research over the last two decades. In the early 1990s, the company participated in a demonstration project in Washington, PA. Mack MR models powered by a natural gas version of the company™s E7 engine were put into service at a local landfill, using an on-site natural gas refueling system. The effort helped establish the viability of natural gas as a fuel option for landfill operations. Mack built on that experience over the following ten years to provide natural gas vehicles to customers in California with stringent local air quality regulations.
In 2002, Mack worked with Acrion Technologies, Cleveland, and others on a pilot project to recover biogas (waste methane produced from decomposition of organic materials in landfills), remove impurities and convert the biogas to LNG for trucks serving the landfill. The pilot at a landfill in Burlington County, New Jersey produced more than 10,000 gallons of LNG, which powered two Mack refuse trucks for 600 hours of operation each during the four-month field test. The results of the test confirmed that the combination of Acrion™s advanced gas purification technology and natural gas-powered Mack refuse trucks was a sustainable and environmentally responsible business strategy for customers with landfill operations.
Currently, Mack is working with another Volvo Group company, Terracastus Technologies, to develop a total solution landfill gas product that offers fuel production technology combined with natural gas powered vehicles optimized for the landfill hauling application.
Dedicated to quality, reliability, and total customer satisfaction, Mack Trucks, Inc. has provided its customers with innovative transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America™s largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and MACK® vehicles are sold and serviced in more than 45 countries worldwide. All Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality and ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations” public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation™s roadways.
Mack Trucks, Inc. is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world”s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services, and one of the world”s leading producers of heavy-diesel engines (9-16 liter). The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 100,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than 180 markets. Volvo Group sales for 2008 amounted to over $46 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange and are traded OTC in the U.S.
