US Secretary of Energy Dr Steven Chu announced that Cummins will receive nearly $54 million in funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for two projects aimed at improving fuel efficiency in heavy- and light-duty vehicles.
The Cummins awards were among nine project awards totaling more than $187 million, announced at an event held at Cummins Columbus (IN) Technical Center.
Cummins will receive nearly $39 million in funding to support systems-level technology development, integration, and demonstration for efficient Class 8 trucks (SuperTruck). The company will receive another $15 million in funding to support advanced-technology powertrains for light-duty vehicles (ATP-LD). Besides reduced fuel consumption and petroleum usage, the improvements in engine system efficiency will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Cummins will partner with Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of Paccar, for its SuperTruck project. The Cummins project will develop and demonstrate an efficient and clean diesel engine, an advanced waste heat recovery system, an aerodynamic Peterbilt tractor-and-trailer combination, and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit to reduce engine idling.
The goal of the SuperTruck program is to improve Class 8 vehicle freight efficiency by 50% through advanced and efficient engine systems and vehicle technologies that also meet prevailing emissions and Class 8 tractor-trailer vehicle safety and regulatory requirements. Every facet of energy consumption of a Class 8 tractor and trailer will be addressed through development and integration of advanced technologies.
The ATP-LD program will develop a fuel-efficient, low-emissions diesel engine that achieves a 40% fuel economy improvement over conventional gasoline technology and exceeds 2010 EPA emissions requirements. The project will develop and demonstrate an advanced, integrated combustion engine and aftertreatment system to achieve Tier 2 Bin 2 emission compliance while maintaining vehicle performance and driveability. The project will also develop system architecture to accommodate on-board diagnostic regulations from the design stage to better enable product commercialization.
During the program development, more than 60 technical positions will be dedicated to the project work at Cummins. Successful production implementation will result in more long-term positions.