NASHVILLE. TICO Manufacturing and Power Solutions International announced that its 8.8-liter CNG engine will power a new terminal tractor prototype being tested by TICO. TICO is displaying the CNG prototype, which is already in service with plans for additional pilot testing, at the TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition in Nashville.
According to TICO’s General Manager, Frank Tubbert, the new CNG prototype tractor features design enhancements that improve both value and reliability over conventional models, with the benefit of improving emissions to meet environmental aims.
The prototype fits within TICO’s larger program to develop and expand a portfolio of alternative-fuel terminal tractors, the company noted. As part of that effort, TICO said it has worked closely with its customer UPS to develop competitively-priced alternative fuel vehicles in order to expand future fleet options to achieve the package delivery leader’s sustainability goals. The CNG prototype, currently in pilot testing, is a product of this collaboration.
“The increasing costs and complexity associated with meeting diesel emissions is helping the shift to offer gasoline and alternative fuel engines,” Tubbert added. “This collaboration reflects that shift. We also wanted, in large part, to offer the customer more choices and to focus on clean air as a major policy objective.”
The CNG-fueled terminal tractor is the latest product of the partnership between TICO and PSI, which began in 2016 when the two companies joined forces on designs to integrate customized gasoline and alternative-fuel engines into TICO’s Pro-Spotter terminal tractors. Their first collaboration was a new propane-fueled terminal tractor, launched at the 2016 Alternative Clean Transportation (“ACT”) Expo.
"We’re excited about the growth of our relationship with TICO,” said Gary Winemaster, PSI’s chairman and CEO. “Together, we’re developing a family of alternative-fuel options that offer leading companies like UPS flexibility and a pathway to fleets that are cleaner, easier to maintain, and less expensive. This CNG terminal tractor is a great addition.”
