When he was applying all his genius to commercialise the diesel engine in the early 1900s, did Clessie Cummins ever envision his beloved company would dramatically reinvent itself in just a short time as an advocate for climate action?
Who would have thought that the iconic diesel engine company would one day be touting hydrogen internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell engines?
Well, it has happened with Cummins now investing billions of dollars in alternative fuel and powertrain technologies as part of its strategy called Destination Zero to go further, faster to reduce the greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of its products.
Significantly, Cummins has transformed itself in recent years to become a genuine powertrain company, a move enhanced by a number of strategic partnerships and acquisitions, including that of leading axle and brake supplier Meritor.
In fact, that acquisition has positioned Cummins as one of the few companies able to provide integrated powertrain solutions across both internal combustion and electric drivetrains.
The Meritor-developed portfolio of eAxles which have been incorporated alongside other zero emission technologies under a new business unit and brand – Accelera by Cummins – are a critical integration point within hybrid and electric drivetrains and are essential to delivering market-leading solutions to customers.
In addition to the Meritor acquisition, Cummins has an established joint venture with Eaton under the banner Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies.
The Endurant XD Pro 18-speed transmission is a product of the joint venture, a game-changer in terms of the sophisticated communications system between the engine and transmission software.
“The key benefit of the integrated powertrain is improved fuel economy,” says Scott Alexander, Cummins’ On-Highway Sales Manager South Pacific.
“There’s only so much you can do with the engine by itself but when the engine, transmission and diff ratio are precisely matched the real benefits emerge.”
He points out that the 18-speed Eaton Cummins Endurant automated transmission is a critical part of the integrated powertrain’s ability to deliver fuel economy gains.
“Driver feedback on the Endurant has been overwhelmingly positive,” he claims. “One of our customers put their best driver in a new truck with an Endurant transmission and the driver commented that he would have made 95 per cent of the shifts that the transmission made.”
Not to be forgotten in the efficiency equation – and an important part of the integrated drivetrain – is the Meritor MT21-165 tandem drive axle which was recently updated with two different specs for Australian linehaul and vocational applications.
In the linehaul version, the oil pump has been engineered out of the tandem axle which provides linehaul customers with a fuel economy improvement of up to 1.5 per cent.
The vocational version retains an integrated pump enabling greater longevity where a broader and more demanding application is required.
While the existing portfolio of traditional axle, brake and drivelines from Meritor are highly complementary, enabling Cummins to offer a complete conventional drivetrain, the eAxle – developed by Meritor – is no doubt where the future lies in terms of full electric integration.
At the recent Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas, Accelera by Cummins displayed a full line-up of differing technologies, including the eAxle.
A fully electric Accelera powertrain in an International RH Class 8 truck was one of the main highlights of the expo.
The truck, for the Werner Enterprises fleet, features two Accelera FCE150 hydrogen fuel cell engines and an Accelera electric powertrain in the form of the 14Xe eAxle, basically a 250kW electric motor with a 3-speed twin-countershaft or a 2-speed planetary transmission engineered and integrated into the axle assembly.
Werner, a premium US transportation and logistics provider, said the initiative aligned perfectly with its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 55 per cent in the year 2035.
Two years after Cummins’ acquisition of Meritor, the traditional Meritor products have also now been integrated under a new business unit called Cummins Drivetrain and Braking Systems.
However, in recognition of the reputation Meritor had in the traditional powertrain market, the Meritor name will continue to live on in the axle naming as well as in the casting, stamping and packaging of the axle and brake product sold by this business today.
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