Whitehorse Truck Centre has just delivered three sparkling purple, alternate fuel powered Freightliner FL80 tankers to Elgas in Victoria.

Elgas now has five of the Cummins B5.9LPG powered vehicles in service.

There are several improvements in the latest LPG Freightliners including oversize 6” wide front brakes to compensate for reduced engine braking. Also new are brushless alternators to eliminate sparking in a potentially flammable environment.

The alternate fuel “green” Freightliners have proven themselves in service with decreased operating costs and good reliability.

But their environmental advantages extend to more than just clean air.

They are an amazing 14dBA quieter at idle than the diesel version of the Cummins B5.9 engine. And that has made them ideal for night deliveries in many service stations close by residential areas (LPG tankers must idle or fast idle their engines to pump product during deliveries).

The purchase price premium for LPG power on the Elgas tankers was $4,000 after the 50 percent Federal Alternative Fuels Conversion Program rebate from the Federal Government.

Payback period is less than a year with the trucks doing 40 to 50,000 km per annum and fuel prices of $0.94 per litre for diesel and $0.425 per litre for LPG (based on December 2000 Wholesale Diesel List prices and LPG List prices in Victoria metro).

The 240 litre fuel tank allows a 200 km operational radius from base (400 km, one way trip) without refuelling.

The B series Cummins LPG engine powering the Freightliner FL80 is a modified heavy duty diesel which features electronically controlled spark ignition, advanced electronic engine management, closed-loop air/fuel ratio control, and lean burn technology.

The Cummins B5.9LPG engine runs on propane gas only and not autogas. Operator experience with LPG powered units has been generally positive. Heavier applications of the Cummins LPG engine have been limited by the maximum 190 horsepower rating.

“Green” Freightliner FL80s are available nationwide and the engines are fully supported by Cummins Australia.