ATLANTA – Cummins continues to embrace a “buffet” of power sources for the marketplace as it prepares for a future that includes diesel, hybrids, electric powertrains, and fuel cells.
“We win in the marketplace by seeing the future first, and beating the competition to it,” proclaimed Srikanth Padmanabhab, president of the Cummins engine business, during a briefing at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show. “We will be there to provide that power of choice to our customers.”
Cummins itself will produce 1.3 million engines this year, bringing its worldwide total to 15 million engines overall.
But the underlying source of power is clearly evolving.
Future internal combustion engines could be fueled by diesel, natural gas, or gasoline, he said. Battery-electric systems will find a place depending on specific applications, particularly in regional and urban environments -– especially as batteries improve. Cummins expects range-extended electric vehicles in 2019 and 2020 to serve the bus market and urban pickup and deliveries, and it has also unveiled an electric Class 7 urban hauler.
“We've been in this electrified business for well over two decades,” he stressed. “The technology is viable, and it's economically viable in certain markets.”
Related: Cummins Electric Truck Explained in On the Spot VideoIn selected cases, hybrids will combine electric and internal combustion power. And there will be a place for fuel cells, too.
Emissions-friendly technologies are rolling out in markets around the world, improving the quality of life in the urban environments from Amsterdam to New Delhi and Beijing, he added.
It isn't the only way the engines are evolving. Fifteen years ago, industry disruptors came in the form of globalization, emissions, and available power. Today, he said, the driving issues are diversity, connectivity, and automation.
As important as the fuel will be, connectivity is reshaping powertrains through the confluence of sensors, analytics, and artificial
