Cummins introduces next-generation X family of engines

Cummins Inc., President - Engine Business Srikanth Padmanabhan introduced a new era in Cummins heavy-duty power with the next-generation X Series. With the lineup expanded to three X engines, and ratings extending from 350 hp to 605 hp, this represents the broadest and most capable heavy-duty engine range that Cummins has ever made available to the North American truck market.

“Inspired by our customers and their business needs, Cummins is delivering the power of great ideas with our next-generation engines revealed today as the X15 Performance Series, the X15 Efficiency Series and the X12 focused on productivity – each optimized for specific duty cycles and applications,” commented Srikanth Padmanabhan, Cummins President – Engine Business.

The new engines were launched at the Cummins ‘Four Strokes of Genius’ event held at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio, where a fleet of trucks powered by the big-bore X15 and medium-bore X12 were put through their paces on the test track. The engines demonstrated the power of great ideas with four defining attributes: Performance, Fuel Economy, Uptime and Integration. The X15 and X12-powered truck test runs took place 85 years after Clessie Cummins tested the first heavy-duty truck diesel engine in North America – the 125-hp Model H – on the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Clessie was a visionary and he used his innovation and mechanical genius to propel the diesel to the forefront of the North American commercial vehicle market. He would be proud of us for launching the latest heavy-duty engines 85 years after he first introduced that new diesel technology. We continue to harness our history of great ideas to deliver tomorrow’s products, today,” Padmanabhan said. “Our latest X15 and X12 engines deliver unparalleled performance while achieving the lowest cost of operation. Equally important – they are great to drive, with faster response and more braking power than ever before, and that will help fleets retain their best drivers.”

The X engine platform builds on the success of the current heavy-duty engines, taking on new names to reflect the evolution and introduction of the product platforms to meet Phase 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) and fuel-efficiency standards, to be fully implemented in 2017.

By taking highly innovative approaches, combined with a series of finely tuned improvements on existing technologies, the X15 brings unmatched performance and fuel efficiency, with the implementation of an optimized compression ratio, air handling system and cam profile. The X12 redefines the meaning of medium-bore power with by far the highest power-to-weight ratio of any heavy-duty engine. All three engines are integrated with the revolutionary Single Module aftertreatment. Up to 60 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than modular aftertreatment systems, the Single Module is capable of taking DPF ash cleaning events to as much as 800,000 miles on the X15.

“Our technology success achieves an unprecedented degree of integration across the powertrain and with the driver – as represented by the Cummins and Eaton SmartAdvantage Powertrain – enabling major fuel savings by precisely adjusting to grade, vehicle weight and throttle position. Together with features such as ADEPT, SmartCoast and Predictive Cruise Control (PCC), we can make every driver an expert,” Padmanabhan said. “Cummins ability to integrate doesn’t stop with our products, but continues through our network of accessible experts ready to partner with fleets and drivers all over North America. We can also deliver engine calibrations and Cummins expert guidance over the air, without the truck needing to visit a service bay. That’s how the power of great ideas translates into real-world benefits for our customers.”

The X15 Performance Series is ideally configured for heavy-haul and vocational trucks, with a 485 hp-to-605 hp ratings range, while the X15 Efficiency Series is tailored for line-haul and regional- haul applications, with a 400 hp-to-500 hp range. The X12 medium bore engine has a 350-to-475 hp range for regional-haul, intracity delivery and vocational trucks. All three engines will be manufactured at the Cummins Jamestown Engine Plant.