Cummins-led Team to Develop Plug-in Hybrid that Reduces Fuel Use by 50%
April 07 2016 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) today announced the company was awarded
a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop
a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can
reduce fuel consumption by at least 50 percent over conventional
Class 6 vehicles.
When fully loaded, Class 6 vehicles weigh between approximately
19,000 and 26,000 pounds and typical examples include school buses
or single axle work trucks.
With their expertise in internal combustion engines and related
products, Cummins researchers will optimize the powertrain by
selecting the engine with the best architecture to use as an
electric commercial vehicle range extender, using the engine to
manage the charge level of the all-electric drive battery pack. The
range extender will be integrated, using advanced vehicle controls,
with the electrified powertrain and other applicable
technologies.
Ultimately, the researchers aim to demonstrate improved fuel
consumption and state of the art drivability and performance
regardless of environmental conditions.
Cummins is partnering with PACCAR on the project, and the
full team includes representatives from The Ohio State University,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National
Laboratory.
“The close integration and control of the electrified powertrain
with an appropriately selected engine is critically important to
developing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle system,” said Wayne
Eckerle, Vice President, Research and Technology, Cummins Inc. “We
believe that through the team’s efforts we can soon make these
innovations commercially available, which has the potential to
translate into substantial savings annually per vehicle, helping
our customers and the environment.”
The reduction of fuel consumption will be met or exceeded during
a wide-range of drive cycles designed to meet the needs of a wide
variety of commercial fleet operators. The fuel reduction goals
will be achieved through the use of an electrified vehicle
powertrain, optimization of the internal combustion engine
operation, and other technologies including intelligent
transportation systems and electronic braking.
About Cummins Research and Technology
Cummins values investment in research and development of new
technologies, partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and
other government agencies. Additionally, the company devoted at
least $700 million to research and development expenses for a
fourth consecutive year in 2015, reaching $718 million.
The company is continuing its research and development focus on
both critical future technologies and improving current
technologies to meet future emissions and customer requirements
around the world. Cummins’ Research and Technology organization
develops new technology six to 10 years, and sometimes longer,
ahead of commercial production.
About Cummins
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of
complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute
and service diesel and natural gas engines and related
technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling,
filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation
systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins
currently employs approximately 55,000 people worldwide and serves
customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a
network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent
distributor locations and approximately 7,200 dealer locations.
Cummins earned $1.4 billion on sales of $19.1 billion in 2015.
Press releases can be found on the Web at www.cummins.com. Follow Cummins on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/cummins and on YouTube
at www.youtube.com/cumminsinc.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160407005982/en/
Cummins Inc.Jon Mills, 317-658-4540Director, External
CommunicationsJon.mills@cummins.com
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