Cummins Receives Grant To Develop Hybrid Truck

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Cummins has received a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The only major criteria that the new vehicle must meet is that it must reduce fuel consumption of traditional Class 6 trucks by 50 percent.

Famous for their reliable diesel engines, Cummins is not going it alone into this alternative fuel venture. According to a company statement, they are joining forces with representatives from The Ohio State University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne Laboratory. They will also be partnering with Paccar, the parent company of truck manufacturers Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF Trucks, and Leyland Trucks.

These researchers will choose the engine that works best as a range extender when paired with the electric power train.

Cummins' goal is to develop  vehicle that meets or exceeds fuel savings expectations in a wide array of drive cycles. This will allow the truck to meet a variety of fleet needs. The truck will reportedly also utilize features like intelligent transportation systems and electronic braking.

When fully loaded, a Class 6 truck can weigh as much as 26,000 lbs. Some examples of such vehicles are school buses, beverage trucks, and single axle work trucks. So if Cummins and their team can develop a vehicle that can cut these vehicle's fuel consumption in half, this could be a groundbreaking opportunity and potentially provide the fleet industry with more choices when purchasing sustainable vehicles.

 

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