Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. announced Friday, Jan. 18, that it now offers a compressed natural gas-powered chassis for the walk-in van marketplace to meet the growing customer demand for alternative-fuel power. The CNG chassis complements the existing hybrid chassis that FCCC offers.
“FCCC is dedicated to developing and expanding our alternative-fuel technology further with the launch of CNG,” says Joe Snyder, product manager of commercial vehicles for Gaffney, S.C.-based FCCC. The company builds both MT-45 and MT-55 CNG-powered chassis, and it carries the same payload of FCCC’s diesel-powered versions — 10,000 to 19,000 pounds — with the same GVWR range of 14,140 to 30,000 pounds.
The featured engine series in both the MT-45 and MT-55 CNG-powered chassis is the 5.9-liter six-cylinder Cummins B Gas Plus that produces 195 to 230 horsepower with a torque range of 420 to 500 lb.-ft. The Cummins B Gas Plus engines already meet Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards for 2010, FCCC says.
The CNG’s fuel system is also state-of-the-art, according to the company. “Our CNG fuel system includes all-stainless-steel fuel and vent lines, with Dynetek seamless aluminum fuel cylinders, covered with a carbon-fiber shell, providing high-capacity lightweight cylinders to the market,” Snyder says.
In early 2008, UPS will deploy 167 new FCCC CNG-powered walk-in vans in Los Angeles; Fresno, Calif; Ontario, Calif.; San Ramon, Calif.; Dallas; and Atlanta. They will appear the same as all other UPS FCCC diesel-powered walk-in vans — except for a specific label that identifies them as CNG-powered.
