Cummins Inc announced that its new on-highway engines for 2010 are in full production and meeting customer expectations of delivering better fuel economy and performance. The Cummins engine lineup for on-highway applications was on display March 25-27 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.
Cummins began producing the near-zero-emissions EPA 2010 engines in 2009 and continued with full production in January 2010. To date, Cummins has produced over 2,500 EPA-certified 2010 engines at manufacturing facilities in Jamestown, New York and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Leading to the full production of the 2010 engines, Cummins followed stringent product-testing protocol through which engines are rigorously tested for performance and reliability. The diesel engine manufacturer utilizes cutting-edge technology for in-house testing through the use of automated data analysis.
More than 200 vehicles, including internal test vehicles and customer field test vehicles, were equipped with a proprietary datalogger that enables the company to log a multitude of variables while the vehicle is in operation. The Engineering Tools Datalogger (ETD) is a data recorder and transmission device that automatically transmits field-use data to Cummins headquarters.
This unit has the capability of sending results for 240 different variables, from engine speed and exhaust temperature to GPS location, vehicle speed, torque, fuel usage, emissions, coolant temperature, and more — including On-Board Diagnostics (OBD). Information is time stamped to provide a graphic picture of engine and aftertreatment performance at any point in the duty cycle and at any location.
Encrypted data
Engine, vehicle, and trip information is encrypted and sent via modem to the on-highway engineering team in Columbus, Indiana, where it is segmented and analyzed by Cummins engineering experts. Having real-world data from so many different vehicles operating in a variety of locations and duty cycles has allowed engineers to test engine software and algorithms, make modifications and validate operating characteristics with greater speed and accuracy than ever before. The ETD has the capability of making calibration changes to the engine, including complete recalibrations of the Electronic Control Module (ECM).
The Engineering Tools Datalogger allows engineers to optimize software and system performance reliability, and enables the continuous improvement of the engines and aftertreatment systems based on actual driving experience with fully loaded vehicles in all environmental conditions. The ETD capability has enabled the engine builder to maximize passive regeneration in the Aftertreatment System as well as optimize Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) consumption for all types of duty cycles. It also provided Cummins with a critical window for early failure detection and resolution, even before the first 2010 production engines were released.
Additionally, the company accumulated more than eight million miles of real-world experience by having the products operated by over 80 customers in normal daily operations. Cummins EPA 2010 engines have been tested, validated and are available in nearly 180 installations for on-highway vehicles.
“The same rigorous testing and product validation are done regardless of the application in which the engine will be installed,” said Sean Milloy, chief technical officer, Cummins Engine Business. “In fact, due to the nature of some duty cycles, more aggressive testing is done with some applications. The engineering excellence of Cummins team allows us to leverage the knowledge gained from every test mile and hour performed in all of these installations.”
The vehicle installation applications available with Cummins 2010 power are a result of extensive collaboration with over 60 vehicle manufacturers. “The work that our teams have accomplished demonstrates the commitment we have to our OEM partners,” said Rich Freeland, president of Cummins Engine Business. “The range of vehicle applications with Cummins 2010 engines reaffirms our ability to deliver the best products and support to our customers.”
The ISX15 is fully EPA- and Air Resources Board-certified and is ideal for Class 8 on-highway trucks that require the performance of a big-bore engine. The ISX15 features the new Xtra-High Pressure Injection (XPI) fuel system, which is able to produce extremely high-pressure independent of engine speed. The proprietary fuel system enables controlled fuel injection events and is instrumental in achieving up to 5% better fuel economy than the previous model.
The MidRange engine lineup for on-highway applications includes the ISB6.7, ISC8.3, and ISL9, which are well suited to medium-duty truck applications. The ISX11.9 engine rounds out the on-highway portfolio and will be in full production in August.
New service tool
With its 2010 engines entering service throughout the United States and Canada, Cummins introduced its new QuickCheck 5200 handheld unit that enables mechanics to adjust engine features and parameters and read trip information. It has been available since the beginning of May through Cummins distributors and dealers and online at www.powerstore.cummins.com.
QuickCheck 5200 comes with a color screen for improved readability in all lighting conditions and the ability to directly adjust individual parameter settings in the Electronic Control Module (ECM). The device connects to the engine's ECM via an industry-standard data link and is able to read and write information directly to the ECM.
The QuickCheck 5200 features two applications on the Windows CE-powered handheld: PowerSpec CE and QuickCheck CE. The PowerSpec CE application includes a subset of the full functionality of the PC version of PowerSpec. PowerSpec is Cummins proprietary software that allows customers to tailor features and parameters on a Cummins engine to fit their specific operation and needs. The PowerSpec CE application includes the ability to read and reset trip information and fault codes (inactive fault codes). Also, customers can read feature settings for the ECM, immediately adjust feature and trim settings with the Direct Engine Edit function and transfer a HotSpec created in the PowerSpec PC version.
The QuickCheck CE application allows customers to access public data from any manufacturer's engine with electronic controls, transmission, braking and vehicle systems. QuickCheck 5200 is powered by a lithium-ion battery and has a processor that is twice as fast as the QuickCheck 5100. ♦