Simplest engine, pros and cons?

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by JSH

That has been the natural gas industry's statement for decades. To date it hasn't happened.

That's true, but the shipping(ocean and rail) industry will move to LNG which will drive the price/technology/packaging to the point that it will become attractive to the trucking industry also.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

That's true, but the shipping(ocean and rail) industry will move to LNG which will drive the price/technology/packaging to the point that it will become attractive to the trucking industry also.

LNG seems to make more sense for ocean shipping than for terrestrial applications. Many ports nowadays have re-gasifiying stations to receive LNG imported usually from Malaysia, and feed it to NG pipelines.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

That's true, but the shipping(ocean and rail) industry will move to LNG which will drive the price/technology/packaging to the point that it will become attractive to the trucking industry also.

Moving giant oceangoing ships to LNG isn't going to help transfer Class 6-8 trucks to LNG. The problem isn't technical - we have technical solutions that work today. The problem is economics and logistics.

CNG and LNG trucks cost more than a diesel truck - a lot more. That isn't going to change without a huge increase in volume to bring down the cost of the tanks. They require less maintenance and the fuel is cheaper - sometimes. That variation is the price of natural gas vs diesel is a problem if you want someone to spend tens of thousands more upfront to save over the long run.

Then there is fueling. Right now long-haul CNG and LNG is mainly done by large fleets like UPS or FED EX that have installed their own fueling stations.

Where natural gas trucks make the most sense is local routes were trucks come back to the same depot every day. These are also generally city routes were the decreased emissions make the biggest difference. The problem for NG on local routes is competition from electric trucks. The have the same economics: higher purchase price in exchange for lower fuel cost and maintenance.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Even though Scania has recently switched its focus from compression-ignition ethanol engines to spark-ignition NG engines, mostly with CNG which is readily available in more regions than LNG, most of the long-haul trucks I have seen with a CNG fuel system in my country relied on it as a supplemental injection and retained the ability to run on Diesel fuel. The last time I remember seeing a dedicated-CNG truck, it was an Iveco in 2014.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

When it comes to a simpler engine, one of the examples that I usually remember is the 447cc air-and-oil cooled Honda parallel-twin. No wonder once in a while I still see beauties like this '86 Honda CB 450.