Cummins Inc. announced this morning the launch of a global heavy-duty engine platform, the in-line six G Series. Engines in the series will be available in 10.5- and 11.8-liter displacements “to meet a broad variety of on-highway and off-highway global market requirements and emissions standards.”
While the initial G Series engines are designed to run on diesel fuel, Cummins told FleetOwner that “a natural gas option may come later.”
For on-highway markets, the G Series Heavy-Duty platform will be rolled out as the new Cummins ISG11 and Cummins ISG12.
According to the engine maker, these models will offer a power range from 290 hp to 512 hp (216-382 kW) “in a compact and lightweight package” and will be available to “meet global variations in emissions requirements”
At launch in 2014, Cummins said the ISG11 and ISG12 engines will meet Euro III, Euro IV and China NS4 emissions requirements.
Cummins added that versions of these engines designed to meet future U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) rules as well as Euro V and Euro VI regs are also in development.
Queried for a more specific date on the rollout of on-highway G Series engines in the U.S., Jeff Jones, vp-- North America Engine Business, told FleetOwner that “The ISG12 is being developed to be compliant with EPA 2017 standards. Specific launch timing has not been determined yet.”
As for how the two new engines would “fit” with Cummins existing lineup, Jones said that “the ISX12 and the ISX12G are among Cummins’ most successful and dependable heavy-duty engines and will continue to be offered to North American and global markets.
“There is a place for [the new] ISX12 and ISX12G in Cummins’ engine lineup,” he continued. “Availability of any of our engines depends on OEM availability; they will have the choice to offer any of these engines.”
Asked if the new engines would compete with the 13-L engines proprietary to truck OEMs in the U.S. market currently, Jones replied that “Several OEMs choose to complement their existing product offerings with Cummins engines.”
Sandeep Kar, global director-- commercial vehicle research for research firm Frost & Sullivan, told FleetOwner that the launch of a global engine platform by Cummins had been “just a matter of time” due to the dynamics of the engine market.
“By 2018,” he pointed out, “some 30% of the heavy-duty engines sold [around the world] will have some sort of platform lineage” and that will largely be due to the recognition that “platform-based production provides large economies of scale” for heavy-duty component manufacturers.
Kar also observed that the 10.5- and 11.8-liter displacements selected by Cummins for the new platform reflects the reality that ‘while on-highway truck engine size is decreasing in the North America, in key global markets [such as China] are coming up in size from the bottom. For example, the 9-liter diesel was very popular in China a few years ago, but now higher-liter engines are seen as more appropriate [for truck applications] there.”
According to Kar, Cummins is headed in the right direction by offering 11- and 12-liter engines “as that is where growth is coming from in the global marketplace.” And, he added, “keep in mind [for North America and other markets] that natural-gas engines are found in the same range as these new engines.”
Cummins stated that the new ISG11 and ISG12 on-highway versions will be “ideal power solutions for heavy-duty trucks in long-haul, regional-haul and vocational service, as well as buses, motor coaches, fire trucks and recreational vehicles.”
"The G Series global design approach is a vivid demonstration of how Cummins is transforming from a multinational to a truly global company," said Steve Chapman, Cummins vp & group vp-- China & Russia. "This engine platform has been designed for diverse and global markets by utilizing the expertise and local knowledge of our engineers from around the world."
Cummins noted that design and development of the engine platform was led by a team in the United States supported by global technical and marketing resources with “deep knowledge of local market and customer needs.” The global design approach leveraged the “latest advanced technologies to develop an adaptive architecture, with each engine designed to meet unique performance and cost-of-ownership expectations for its target market and region.”
More specifically, the engine maker said the G Series “minimizes engineering requirements for vehicle and equipment manufacturers with a common, compact installation envelope.”
Per Cummins, a key design focus of the G Series was to “achieve significant weight savings in order to increase the power-to-weight ratio. A sculptured block retains high rigidity while removing unnecessary mass. The use of composite material for the oil pan and valve cover provides further weight savings. With this innovative approach, the G Series achieves a remarkably low engine weight of just 1,900 lbs (862 kg) while retaining all the structural strength and durability expected of a Cummins Heavy-Duty engine.”
The G Series incorporates Cummins Xtra-High Pressure Injection (XPI) fuel system, derived from the larger and more powerful X Series engine. Cummins noted that “with multiple injection events driven by high-precision Cummins electronic controls, the XPI fuel system contributes to a very impressive peak torque for the G Series of 1700 lb-ft, together with a torque rise as high as 60% available. These attributes enable the G Series to deliver exceptionally fast response to increasing load factors from low engine rpm.”
The G Series’ fuel-efficient design includes parasitic- reducing technology without variable-flow pumps that add unnecessary cost and reduce reliability, the engine maker pointed out. The engine’s “single Cam In Head (SCIH) design with roller valve train and high-efficiency intake ports continues the design theme of minimum complexity and maximum efficiency. The resulting low-weight design allows more payload to be delivered while requiring less energy to manufacture than competitive designs,” added Cummins.
"Cummins G Series will set a new benchmark as a global heavy-duty engine platform," remarked Rich Freeland, Cummins vp & president-- Engine Business. "With innovative and leading technology, the G Series will deliver superior performance to drive our customers' success."
The G Series will initially be manufactured at the Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Co. plant in China, which serves customers on a global basis. Production is slated to begin during the first half of 2014.
