Cummins, a global power leader, has confirmed its commitment to customers in the heavy duty truck market with the announcements of fuel-efficiency improvements, a new engine rating and Connected Diagnostics during last week’s Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY.
"Cummins is committed to maintaining leadership in the heavy duty truck market," said Jeff Jones, Cummins’ vice president of the company’s North American engine business. "We continue to invest in our products, our customer support capabilities and dealer support processes to ensure that we are delivering the greatest value to our customers."
Fuel-efficiency improvements
Cummins offers optimized ratings for its 15L ISX15 engines to meet customer needs and “provide leading fuel efficiency in a variety of applications,” Jones said.
For the most fuel-conscious fleets, the ISX15 is available with ratings of 400 hp to 450 hp, which deliver peak torque at 1,000 rpm. All ratings can be uniquely tailored with electronic features like Load-Based Speed Control (LBSC), Gear-Down Protection (GDP) and Vehicle Acceleration Management (VAM) to maximize fuel economy and reduce overall operating costs.
Since 2010, numerous improvements have been made to the ISX15 to deliver up to 7 percent better fuel efficiency, he noted. Customers moving from a pre-2010 engine could experience up to 10 percent improvement.
Over the past three years, combustion optimization, reduced parasitic loads, enhanced low-end torque to support downspeeding, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) optimization and the addition of a naturally aspirated air compressor have contributed to the significant gain in fuel economy.
ISX15 SmartTorque2 (ST2) ratings are available with the SmartAdvantage Powertrain, which delivers an additional 3 percent to 6 percent fuel-economy improvement, said Jones.
Jointly developed by Cummins and Eaton, the SmartAdvantage Powertrain integrates the Eaton Fuller Advantage Series automated manual transmission and Cummins ST2 ratings to operate the engine in the fuel-economy "sweet spot" and deliver excellent low-end torque and precise shifting, to help every driver perform like the best driver in the fleet.
New engine rating
Cummins also announced the introduction of the new ISX15 560 hp rating, providing customers with the ability to further maximize productivity in their operations.
Ideally suited for customers operating with heavy loads or on routes with steep grades, where pulling power and effective engine braking are critical, the ISX15 rating with 560 hp and 1,850 ft/lbs of peak torque provides “excellent prolonged low-end torque, delivering peak power sooner and over a wider rpm range,” Jones said.
Connected Diagnostics
Also introduced was Connected Diagnostics, a new application being designed to work seamlessly with leading telematics systems.
Cummins Connected Diagnostics will provide customers “with expert recommendations for the best action to take when a driver is alerted to an engine system fault,” explained Jones.
Connected Diagnostics is the first of several telematics-assisted applications that Cummins is developing.
"Cummins is excited to announce Connected Diagnostics as part of its larger initiative to integrate our engine expertise with existing telematics," he said. "Within moments of a fault code being presented, Cummins will be able to analyze fault information, identify the most likely root cause and provide a recommended action for the customer.
“In conjunction with the breadth and capability of the Cummins-authorized service network, our ability to understand issues immediately allows us to provide the right level of support at the right time for our customers."
Cummins Connected Diagnostics will be available in limited production later this year, with full production release planned for 2015.
