Detroit Diesel CNG system

© Landi Renzo USAA Freightliner truck with a Landi Renzo dual-fuel system

Landi Renzo USA focused on the development of a dual-fuel system for the inline-6 Detroit Diesel S60 engine, very popular in the States. The engine has been in production since 1987, currently with an engine volume increased to 14l (increased piston stroke). The engine that will run on CNG will be 12,7 l.

Thanks to applying the CNG system, carriers that use those engines in their vehicles will have a chance to fully embrace the ecological and economical advantages of CNG fuel.

Currently, CNG is available in the States at over 1,200 gas stations, priced up to $2.00/gallon less than diesel fuel.

The system developed by Landi Renzo allows to replace even 60% of fuel with cheaper natural gas. What’s more, the dual-fuel engine has a reduced noise level (40%) and shows a 40% and 14% drop in particulate matter and CO₂ emissions, respectively. Smoke emissions are also down by 50%.

“As a world leader in alternative fuel systems, we are pleased to present the availability of this innovative technology. Not only does this expand our current clean fuel product offering, but also it further promotes the increased use of natural gas as a fuel and moves us further down a path of energy independence in the United States”, says Andrea Landi, Landi Renzo USA President.

The new CNG diesel engines’ performance is comparable to the ones running only on diesel fuel. The dual-fuel system can be adapted for various diesel engines and requires less storage space as compared to CNG-only vehicles (replacing only some of the fuel with natural gas means that fuel tanks can be smaller).

The dual-fuel CNG system is new to the American market, but Landi Renzo has successfully introduced this technology worldwide on applications including Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai and Renault Diesel engines.

According to Landi Renzo USA, Detroit Diesel S60 engines with CNG system will be available by the end of 2013. Currently, the company is awaiting EPA’s (US Environmental Protection Agency) permission to introduce the system in those engines.