Cummins Improves MidRange Engine Lineup for 2017

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Heavy Duty Trucking  /  March 14, 2017

Cummins announced improvements to its MidRange engine lineup for 2017 at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

The MidRange lineup features engines ranging from the diesel V5.0, B6.7 and L9 to the Cummins Westport natural gas ISB6.7 G and ISL G Near Zero engines.

"Cummins announced our new MidRange engine platforms last year, but we haven't been resting on our laurels,” said Jeff Caldwell, executive director of North American Truck OEMs for Cummins.

B6.7

Fuel economy improvements mean the B6.7 engine is seeing an average improvement of 8.5% on efficiency ratings and 5% on performance ratings over Cummins’ EPA-2013 ISB6.7, says Cummins.

For some applications and duty cycles, specifically pickup and delivery, the efficiency ratings have demonstrated up to a 13% fuel economy improvement.

"The program started with a goal of delivering 7% better fuel economy on the efficiency ratings and 1% better fuel economy on the performance ratings over the 2013 product,” Caldwell said. “As the program progressed, we found opportunities to tune and optimize the engine, delivering further efficiency, and allowing us to surpass initial expectations."

Apart from base engine fuel economy enhancements, Cummins also has Stop-Start capability with the B6.7, which will provide additional fuel economy improvement from 3% to 15%. Stop-Start technology allows the engine to operate only when necessary, by shutting off the engine during idle.

The 2017 B6.7 also includes a longer warranty, a complete 3-year/unlimited-mile warranty in truck applications.

Cummins Westport Natural Gas Engines

Now in full production for bus, medium-duty truck and vocational applications are the ISB6.7 G and the ISL G Near Zero.

Based on the B Series diesel engine platform, the ISB6.7 G is Cummins Westport’s most compact natural gas offering, according to Rob Neitzke, president of Cummins Westport.

Also available is the ISL G Near Zero, which has emissions certification from both the EPA and the California Air Resources Board to meet the optional 0.02 g/bhp-hr Near Zero oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions standards. The NOx emissions of the ISL G Near Zero are 90% lower than the 2010 EPA standard of 0.2 g/bhp-hr.

Both the ISB6.7 G and ISL G Near Zero operate exclusively on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or renewable natural gas (RNG). Both use CWI’s proprietary spark-ignited stoichiometric combustion with cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) technology.

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Cummins unveils improvements to its mid-range lineup of engines

Truck News  /  March 14, 2017

Cummins announced further improvements to its mid-range engine lineup, including the diesel V5.0, B6.7 and L9, as well as the Cummins Westport natural gas ISB6.7 G and ISL G Near Zero engines.

“Innovation is not only related to the brand new,” said Jeff Caldwell, executive director of North American Truck OEMs for Cummins, during the Work Truck Show March 14. “Cummins announced our new mid-range engine platforms last year, but we haven’t been resting on our laurels. We constantly strive to make our products better for our customers, so they can keep their truck on the road longer, getting the job done. Cummins is a company committed to innovation, and in 2017, the market leader keeps getting better.”

Caldwell said Cummins has the broadest range of mid-range diesel and natural gas engines on the market today, powering a variety of transportation customer vehicles.

Its ‘uptime champion’, enhancements to the B6.7 improves on fuel economy, with the engine seeing an average of 8.5% on efficiency ratings and 5% on performance ratings over the former leader, its 2013 ISB6.7.

“Our B Series engines have been at the heart of many hard-working trucks through North America over the past few decades. And in 2017, the B6.7 maintains its bulletproof reliability while bringing tangible fuel economy savings for our customers,” said Caldwell. “The program started with a goal of delivering 7% better fuel economy on the efficiency ratings and 1% better fuel economy on the performance ratings over the 2013 product. As the program progressed, we found opportunities to tune and optimize the engine, delivering further efficiency, and allowing us to surpass initial expectations.”

The B6.7 also has stop-start capability, which Cummins said provide improved fuel economy of between 3% and 15%.
Caldwell said stop-start technology offers reduced consumables, increased durability and enhanced productivity.

Cummins, which has been working with natural gas exports for almost five decades, has also improved its Westport natural gas engines.

The ISL G Near Zero engine, along with the ISB6.7 G, is currently in production for bus, medium-duty truck and vocational applications.

“Our most compact natural gas offering – the ISB6.7 G – offers strong performance, reliability and durability to customers requiring low-emissions vehicles,” said Rob Neitzke, president of Cummins Westport. “With the publicly available natural gas fueling infrastructure growing across North America, the ISB6.7 G offers mid-range customers operating in local areas a low-emissions, cost-effective solution.”

For the ISL G Near Zero, Cummins has added a closed crankcase ventilation system, slightly larger three-way catalyst and software enhancements.

Cummins said the ISL G Near Zero is the first mid-range engine in North America to receive emissions certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency and Air Resources Board for meeting the optional 0.02 g/bhp-hr near zero oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions standards, 90% lower than the EPA’s 2010 standards.

“Based on the reliability and operating improvements of the base ISL G engine, the ISL G Near Zero is a game-changer,” Neitzke said. “The engine offers customers the benefit of performance with the lowest emissions at a much lower cost than battery electric-vehicles. It is zero-emissions technology at conventional propulsion system values.”

Both the ISB6.7 G and ISL G Near Zero operate exclusively on compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas or renewable natural gas.

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Cummins puts more focus on midrange engine improvements

Fleet Owner  /  March 14, 2017

Engine maker aims for better fuel economy and for super-low NOx producing natural gas options for non-attainment area operation.

When it comes to midrange diesel engines, the focus at Cummins Inc. is how to keep bringing the “best of both worlds” together, according to Jeff Caldwell, the company’s executive director of North American truck OEMs – more fuel economy and more performance, all within the same package.

A different set of demands, however, is present within the natural gas segment of the midrange engine market, noted Rob Neitzke, president of Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI), during a press conference here during the 2017 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show: how to deliver a super-low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emitting truck engine that doesn’t sacrifice on power while helping “non-attainment” areas meet Clean Air Act (CAA) air pollution targets.

“There’s a scattershot of place across the U.S., largely in major metropolitan areas, that are having trouble meeting the 8-hour ozone targets established by the CAA for 2023 and 2030,” Neitzke explained to Fleet Owner.

“Looking at their glide path, we can provide an engine that offers 90% NOx [emission] improvement that changes their compliance direction while still providing diesel-comparable power,” he said. “One of the myths of the natural gas engine is that it’s a ‘bridge’ technology to something else. Instead we’re saying it’s a solution to a problem right now.”

On the pure diesel engine side, Cummins’ Caldwell noted that the company’s 2017 model B6.7 base engine is seeing an average improvement of 8.5% on efficiency ratings and 5% improvement in performance ratings over its 2013 model ISB6.7 engine. For some applications and duty cycles, specifically pickup and delivery, the efficiency ratings are up to a 13% gain in fuel economy versus the 2013 ISB6.7.

"Our program started with a goal of delivering 7% better fuel economy on the efficiency ratings and 1% better fuel economy on the performance ratings over the 2013 product,” Caldwell noted. “As the program progressed, we found opportunities to tune and optimize the engine, delivering further efficiency, and allowing us to surpass initial expectations."

Apart from base engine fuel economy enhancements, Cummins also has Stop-Start capability with the B6.7, which will provide additional fuel economy improvement of 3% to 15% by automatically shutting off the engine during idle time, resulting in reduced fuel consumption.

The 2017 model B6.7 also comes with a newly-extended 3-year/unlimited-mile warranty in truck applications, Caldwell said.

“The trick is how do I continue to gain fuel economy without losing performance,” he told Fleet Owner. “That’s why diesel still has a role in this industry; it is still the most effective way to make trucks more productive.”

On the natural gas side of the ledger, Cummins Westport noted that its ISB6.7 G and the ISL G Near Zero engines are now in full production for bus, medium-duty truck and vocational applications.

Yet CWI’s Neitzke said the ISL G Near Zero engine is the real “game changer” in the market – an engine that’s received emissions certification from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California and Air Resources Board (CARB) to meet the optional 0.02 g/bhp-hr Near Zero NOx emissions standards – some 90% lower than the 2010 EPA standard of 0.2 g/bhp-hr.

"This engine offers customers the benefit of performance with the lowest emissions at a much lower cost than battery electric-vehicles,” Neitzke stressed. “It is zero-emissions technology at conventional propulsion system costs."

Both the ISB6.7 G and ISL G Near Zero operate exclusively on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or renewable natural gas (RNG), and both use CWI’s proprietary spark-ignited stoichiometric combustion with cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) technology. In addition, the engines feature electronic controls with programmable features, a closed crankcase ventilation system and a maintenance-free Three-Way Catalyst (TWC) aftertreatment.

“You’re getting electric-like emissions with traditional diesel-like response,” Neitske added to Fleet Owner regarding the ISL G Near Zero engine. “You can use the same technicians and almost the same maintenance processes and drop [the engine] into the same chassis space as a traditional diesel. It’s a fantastic low-emission solution and it’s in production today.”