Volvo Group has signed a deal with Westport to form a joint venture that will accelerate the adoption of high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) fueling systems for longhaul trucking and off-road applications.
The joint venture will go live in the second quarter of this year. The HPDI fuel system can be applied in vehicles with internal combustion engines using carbon-neutral fuels such as biogas or hydrogen.
“Decarbonization with internal combustion engines running on renewable fuels, especially with High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI), plays an important part in sustainable solutions. HPDI has been on the road in Volvo trucks for over five years and is a proven technology that allows customers to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in LBG (liquified biogas) applications here and now and is a potential avenue for hydrogen,” said Lars Stenqvist, chief technology officer, Volvo Group.
Volvo will contribute about US$28 million for its portion of the joint venture, and will contribute up to another US$45 million depending on its performance.