The City of Long Beach, Calif., unveiled a new municipal refuse truck at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo earlier this month, the first in the country to employ Cummins’ near-zero emissions natural gas engine.

The Cummins Westport ISL G Near-Zero engine achieves a 9% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to the current standard ISL G engine and is certified to a nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission standard that is 90% cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) NOx limit. The engine also emits 90% less particulate matter than a diesel powered version.

The new refuse truck is the first of 23 identical near-zero emissions refuse trucks that will soon be coming to Long Beach. The remaining 22 trucks will go into service in the next six months. Thirteen of the 23 trucks will be partially funded by a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).

Long Beach runs an aggressive green fleet program and 52% of its fuel used in 2016 was renewable. In the near future, the city will begin utilizing renewable compressed natural gas (CNG) in order to maximize the emissions reduction of Cummins' new engine.

The Long Beach fleet has been working towards cleaner transport since the 1970s. It began with the purchase of 50 CNG Ford Rancheros for use at the Long Beach Gas Department. In the 1980s, CNG police patrol cars were added to the fleet. In the 1990s, Fleet integrated CNG refuse trucks and in 2003, Long Beach became the first city in the United States to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its street sweepers.