Cummins Unveils Updated Engine Lineup

EAST LIBERTY, Ohio — Cummins Inc. unveiled its updated engine lineup here for 2017, the X15 efficiency and X15 performance series, as well as a new X12 model planned for a 2018 release.

The company demonstrated the engines for journalists July 22-23 at the Transportation Research Center, and said there are numerous enhancements over its current ISX models.

“This isn’t just rebranding,” said Jim Fier, vice president of engineering. “The new engines and new name means a new era at Cummins.”

The engines focus “on productivity — each optimized for specific duty cycles and applications,” Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins’ engine business, said in a statement.

The 15-liter engines have undergone the largest field test in the company’s history — more than 9 million miles — and will be in full production at the plant in Jamestown, New York, at the start of next year. The engines all meet the 2017 greenhouse gas regulation.

Cummins said the 2017 base engine provides a 3% fuel economy gain over 2016 models, and the X15 efficiency series about a 10% advantage over the ISX 15 from model-year 2012 with the aid of predictive cruise control and SmartCoast functionality.

The X15 performance series is configured for heavy-haul and vocational trucks, with a 485-to-605 horsepower ratings range and peak torque of up to 2,050 pound-feet, while the X15 efficiency series is tailored for linehaul and regional-haul applications, with a 400-to-500 hp range and up to 1850 pound-feet of peak torque available at 1,000 rpm, according to the Columbus, Indiana-based company.

Cummins said the X15 extends oil-drain intervals as high as 80,000 miles for trucks running at 6.5 mpg or higher with OilGuard, an analysis program to be introduced by the company. Executives also touted enhanced engine braking, as well as the Single Module aftertreatment offering designed by the Emissions Solution division. The one-piece design is up to 40% lighter and up to 60% smaller.

Additionally, the X15 enables “over-the-air” engine programming and customization when connected to a telematics system through Cummins Connected applications. During the press conference, the simple process for an engine calibration update using a brand new web portal was demonstrated. That “updated” truck was part of a ride-and-drive the following morning.

Amy Boerger, vice president of North American engine business, said more than 45,000 trucks are connected by Cummins, and a number of additional enhancements are under development, making it continually easier to to make adjustments, even when a truck is “out on the road for a long time.”

Meanwhile, the X12, at 2,050 pounds, is at least 150 pounds lighter than its next-closest competitive engine, Cummins said. It is rated up to 475 hp, and provides up to 1700 pound-feet of torque. The engine shares key components with the X15 and is targeted for regional haul, intracity delivery and vocational trucks.

The next-generation X12 Series will be in full production in 2018, following the completion of extensive field testing.

Cummins noted the ISX12 G engine will continue as the heavy-duty platform for natural gas.