The next generation of engines made by the 1,500-plus employees at JEP will not only facilitate the transport of goods and people but do it more sustainably.
The nearly one-million-square-foot JEP will receive $452 million in upgrades as the plant prepares to manufacture the 15-liter X15N engine, based on Cummins' fuel-agnostic internal combustion engine platform, an industry-first. The platform accepts various fuel types to reduce emissions, including compressed natural gas and hydrogen. The X15N supports heavy-duty applications with up to 500 horsepower output and will be tested by FleetOwner 500 For-Hire fleets Knight-Swift Transportation, Ryder, UPS, and others.
Padmanabhan and other Cummins leaders took to the mic to spell out the next phase of their "Destination Zero" strategy to produce these lower-carbon fuel engines. Decarbonization is the goal, Padmanabhan said. By 2030, the company plans to reduce carbon emissions by about 25% from where it was in 2018 at 808 GHG emissions.
Cummins' zero-emission business was rebranded as Accelera in March as part of this strategy. While this nascent technology is developed, the X15N and X15H hydrogen engines will provide a critical bridge, Padmanabhan noted
"Battery-electric solutions are not ready yet. Fuel cell electric solutions are not ready yet," Padmanabhan said. "The transition of what we call the messy middle from where we are today to get to that net zero is going to be more carbon fuel solutions—like natural gas, like biodiesel, and hydrogen—and this plant will make that happen."
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Previously, Katie Zarich, director of on-highway communications at Cummins, explained to FleetOwner affiliate Fleet Maintenance how these new engines would benefit the trucking sector.
"The X15N big bore natural gas engine is essential to our commitment to improve NOx," said Katie Zarich, director of on-highway communications at Cummins. "It produces up to a 10% fuel economy and GHG improvement over an ISX12N and can be specified with ratings matching diesels up to 500 HP and 1,850-lb.-ft. of torque. Its size is also reduced compared to a diesel X15, and it weighs more than 500 lbs. less than a current 15-liter diesel and is 200 lbs. lighter than the current ISX12N."
Cummins investing in fuel-agnostic engine platform