Westport Innovations Inc. and General Motors are building on a relationship they initiated last summer by expanding their partnership to develop advanced technologies for natural gas engines.

The project that Westport and GM announced last June is focused on investigating the use of strategies such as direct injection, hybridization and turbo-charging lower-displacement engines in order to improve emissions and engine controls on light-duty vehicles.

With the new agreement, the companies are adding a second development track with the same general goals: maximizing fuel efficiency and minimizing CO2 emissions.

"It's another advanced technology initiative, but it's a different approach," Ian Scott, president of Westport LD, tells NGT News. "These are potential advanced engine solutions that are long-term."

For obvious competitive reasons, Scott could not comment on the exact nature of the technologies being pursued or the timelines associated with the existing or new partnerships with GM. He did say, however, that a key "path to the market" for Westport LD's natural gas engine offerings is through the light-duty OEMs.