March 30, 2011 06:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aerodynamic trucks, natural gas vehicles, diesel-electric hybrids and low emission diesel engines are powering Kenworth’s industry leadership in providing environmentally friendly products with excellent performance that can help truck operators enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

“We applaud those customers who have added Kenworth aerodynamic, natural gas and diesel-electric hybrid trucks and adopted the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliant engines as part of their efforts to reduce diesel fuel consumption and emissions.”
.“Kenworth’s diverse product offering is enabling a growing number of environmentally conscious fleets and truck operators to drive the green highway,” said Bill Kozek, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “We applaud those customers who have added Kenworth aerodynamic, natural gas and diesel-electric hybrid trucks and adopted the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliant engines as part of their efforts to reduce diesel fuel consumption and emissions.”

Kenworth is the only truck manufacturer to receive the EPA’s Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products. Kenworth’s dedication to the green fleet includes the aerodynamic Kenworth T660 and Kenworth T700; T440 and W900S liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) models; T800 LNG trucks; and Kenworth T270 and T370 diesel-electric hybrids.

“The business is changing as the trend moves toward greener trucks,” said Andy Douglas, Kenworth national sales manager for specialty markets, who has been at the forefront of Kenworth’s green charge for the past several years. “The reality is that high diesel prices and evolving environmental rules are leading truck operators to seek practical solutions when it comes to their truck purchases in 2011 and beyond.”

According to recent figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average cost of diesel in the United States reached nearly $4 in March. That is up about $1, or 33 percent from the same period a year ago.

“As a result, there’s significant interest in our natural gas trucks and that interest is expanding into an increasing number of markets in the United States and Canada,” said Douglas, who noted that natural gas may typically cost at least $1 to $1.50 less than the equivalent diesel fuel and is a cleaner burning fuel domestically produced in North America. “Drayage fleets with port operations were among early purchasers of our T800 LNG truck. More recently, companies as diverse as UPS, natural gas provider Alagasco in Alabama, and solid waste collector and recycler Enviro Express in Connecticut, to name a few, have purchased Kenworth natural gas vehicles.

“When diesel fuel prices go up, the aerodynamic T660 and T700 – which both hold EPA SmartWay(SM) program certification – also receive an even closer look. The T700 has the lowest aerodynamic drag of any truck in the company’s history. Both fuel-efficient vehicles offer low operating cost, advanced technology, outstanding driver comfort, and high resale value. Those are the types of tangible benefits that attract over-the-road customers,” said Douglas.

“Our T270 and T370 diesel-electric hybrids can help enhance fuel economy by up to an estimated 30 percent in pickup and delivery applications and up to 50 percent in utility operations. That makes them especially attractive today to fleets running local routes with a significant number of starts and stops, and to municipalities seeking to save on fuel and reduce their carbon footprint.”

According to Douglas, there are also a number of federal, state and provincial, county, and municipal grant programs and financial incentives available to help truck operators purchase natural gas vehicles and diesel-electric hybrids. “Kenworth and Kenworth dealers are here to assist truck operators interested in pursuing such funding.”

And don’t forget about engines. The very low emission 12.9-liter PACCAR MX engine achieves U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification, and meets the stringent emission standards of 0.2 grams per brake horsepower hour of NOx and 0.01 grams per brake horsepower hour of particulate matter. For medium duty trucks, Kenworth offers the low emission PACCAR PX-6 and PACCAR PX-8 engines as standard on its medium duty products.

“The trucking industry has made great strides with regard to engine emission reduction,” noted Douglas. “For example, with everything else being equal, one Class 8 truck with a 2010 EPA clean diesel engine produces six times fewer emissions than a Class 8 truck with a 2007 EPA engine. That’s a positive trend that will grow as more truck operators move into the low emission engines.”

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best(R) heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. A PACCAR Company. (NASDAQ: PCAR)


Contacts
Kenworth Truck Company
Jeff Parietti, 425-828-5196
jparietti@paccar.com

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