California is developing a very powerful car industry that is increasingly moving away from fossil fuels. At the same time, Tesla continues to make progress in the EVs sector, although the two have now ‘clashed’ (metaphorically speaking). One company has just unveiled a hydrogen-shattering engine that uses a fuel that is as little known as it is innovative. They have done so with a 15-litre engine that, most curiously of all, is not intended to decarbonize car mobility or private transport in general.
California beats Tesla and Toyota: This new engine is colossal, futuristic and innovative
Cummings is the world’s largest manufacturer of power solutions, and the company has achieved a great deal by designing fuel engines that are low, and even in some of them have zero-carbon emissions. The new release is the X15N 15-liter natural gas engine, which the company has unveiled to disrupt the heavy-duty truck market.
The X15N is a heavy-duty, 15-litre natural gas engine suitable for trucks. It boasts impressive specifications that rival its diesel counterparts:It boasts impressive specifications that rival its diesel counterparts:
- Power output: No more than 500 HP.
- Peak torque: 1,850 lb. ft.
- Engine brake power: 650 Newton meters at 2,100 revs/minute, 510 bhp at 2,100 rpm.
These numbers are greater than the previous models of the natural gas engines and are on par with diesel engines of the same capacity. Moreover, the X15N engine offers substantial environmental benefits:
- 11 % lower NOx emissions than today’s EPA requirements.
- Reduction of particulate matter emissions by thirty percent of the current level.
- Up to a 15% reduction in greenhouse CO2 emissions compared to fossil natural gas.
- Possible negative emissions if using renewable natural gas (RNG).
New fuel developed for this 15-liter engine: Neither hydrogen nor electric, but this
The X15N is just one of the ways that Cummins is working to build a lower-cost, fuel-agnostic engine architecture. This way of working makes it possible to build engines that can operate with low- to zero-carbon fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen and diesel. Key aspects of the development process include:
- Common base architecture: All the engines contain the same assemblies beneath the head gasket, irrespective of fuel type.
- Fuel-specific components: Moving above the head gasket, components are specific to the fuel being used, in the case of electrical fuel injection, specifically gasoline.
- Extensive testing: Cummins has well conducted tests as to the performance, reliability and emission standards, thus producing good results
The future of the Cummins’s gas engine, in detail: These are the future plans of the carmaker
This kind of integration makes it possible for the use of natural gas power to replace the other power sources without extensive alteration of current manufacturing processes as well as fleet operations. The X15N engine is compatible with both CNG and LNG systems for natural gas applications in the vehicle. LNG storage systems offer particular advantages for long-haul trucking:
- Possible endurance of up to 1000 mi on a single fill.
- Similar to diesel truck ranges.
- Frees up concern about ‘range anxiety’ in the operation of electric cars and other vehicles that use alternative fuels.
It, therefore, means that the X15N can comfortably handle operations that require longer trips – a factor that has been difficult for other vehicles powered by the various forms of alternative fuels. Cummings’ platform program, of which the X15N natural gas engine is part, goes beyond embracing fuel types. The company is also developing:
- A 15-liter hydrogen engine (X15H).
- A 6. 7-liter hydrogen engine.
Even seeing how innovative this Cummins gas engine is, it is certainly not the first to be developed. However, it is the first to do so with a new combustion concept that prioritizes emissions reduction over power (which, in reality, is not diminished either). A prototype like this opens the door to minimizing pollution with a successful strategy before 2030–2035, when the aim is to have a 100% zero-emission vehicle fleet.
