Fuel

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. said Tuesday it opened its first fuel systems manufacturing site outside of North America, the Cummins Fuel Systems Wuhan plant, in China.

Clean Diesel Technologies said Tuesday it has licensed its wire mesh filter technology to Headway Machinery Co. Ltd., the largest commercial diesel engine exhaust company in China.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As competing engine makers continued their public battle over the best technology for meeting 2010 federal emission standards, analysts said the outcome of the competition could dramatically transform the industry.

As we move closer to the next federal mandate on emissions — which comes into force for 2010-model heavy-duty trucks — proponents of the two competing technologies are beginning to publicly argue over the superiority of their choices.

Auxiliary power units, initially pushed by federal and state governments to reduce air pollution despite concerns by fleet owners and owner-operators over their initial cost, are attracting more buyers who purchase them for the fuel savings, now that average diesel prices are about $4 a gallon.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it is making available almost $50 million in grants to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of diesel engines.

The national average retail diesel price dipped 2.5 cents a gallon last week after six straight increases, the Department of Energy reported, even as gasoline rose 3.1 cents to set a new record high.

Spot protests by truckers over high diesel fuel prices continued in several states Friday, news services reported.