COLUMBUS, IN. While the last few years of cheap gasoline and diesel prices have switched many fleets and even some truck manufacturers off to things like alternative fuels and downsized engines, the folks at Cummins, Inc., a company best known as a diesel engine maker, aren't thinking that way at all.
Instead, Cummins is positioning itself more for the long run and broadening its portfolio of products, according to Rich Freeland, the company's president and chief operating officer. That has meant continuing its operations and sales investments in countries like Russia, India, Brazil and China.
On that latter point, China was essentially the initial launching and proving grounds for Cummins' new X12 12L diesel. The engine, company executives said, will offer very significant weight savings vs. a 15L or even 13L diesel without compromising on power. Slated for availability next year and production in Jamestown, NY, the X12 will feature ratings of 350-475 hp and 1250-1700 lbs.-ft. of torque and will target regional haulers, vocational fleets and others where lower weight and optimal efficiency often are key.
Also offering a 12L variant is the ISX 12 G, a compressed natural gas engine produced under the Cummins Westport Inc. joint venture. CNG trucks — though they can offer significant emissions reductions and long-run fuel savings compared with diesel equivalents — almost seem to have dropped off the map in trucking over the last few years, with CNG, at least if purchased at retail rates at fuel stations, actually rising above the cost of diesel.
