Cummins 15-Liter Hydrogen Engines For Versatile Equipment

Cummins Intends To Produce Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines In Both 15- And 6.7-Liter Displacements

Cummins’ X15H Hydrogen Engine (Image Courtesy Of Cummins)

Cummins Inc. (Cummins) and Buhler Industries Inc. (Buhler) a tractor manufacturer under the Versatile brand, announced they have signed a letter of intent and plan to integrate the Cummins 15-liter (3.9-gallon) hydrogen engines in Versatile’s equipment for the decarbonization of the agriculture market.

Since 1967, Versatile has used Cummins engines exclusively in all four-wheel drive tractors. For decades, both Versatile and Cummins have invested in technology and innovation to deliver reliable performance to farmers across the globe. Each company believes they are uniquely positioned to build on their histories in agriculture as they step forward into new powertrain technologies. “While diesel engines continue to be the flexible power of choice for the foreseeable future in agriculture, such a collaboration enables both companies to develop low- and zero-carbon solutions that are ideally suited to farming,” said Adam Reid, Versatile’s vice president of Sales and Marketing.

“Cummins has recently announced its plan to leverage existing platforms and expertise in spark ignited technology to build hydrogen engines. The high commonality among engine components between diesel and hydrogen leverages scale advantages for original equipment manufacturers [OEMs], while delivering the reliability that farmers need,” said Ann Schmelzer, general manager for Cummins Global Agriculture Business.

Both companies believe that hydrogen combustion engines will provide a cost effective zero-carbon fueled solution for high load factor and high utilization applications. Key benefits of using this technology include enabling a timely solution to reduce carbon emissions without sacrificing productivity. Hydrogen combustion engines minimize the impact on the machine design for manufacturers, allowing common parts and components across platforms to drive scale advantages, reducing costs. When integrated in farm equipment, farmers will have a solution that is dependable, as well as easy to service and maintain.

Engine Details And Background

Cummins first debuted its 15-liter hydrogen engine at ACT Expo in Long Beach, California. This engine is built on Cummins’ new fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket each fuel type’s engine has largely similar components, and above the head gasket, each has different components for different fuel types. This version, with expected full production in 2027, pairs with clean, zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, a key enabler of Cummins’ strategy to help customers reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “We’ve established significant goals as part of our PLANET 2050 sustainability strategy, including a target of zero emissions,” said Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Engine Business for Cummins Inc. “Reducing well-to-wheels carbon emissions requires innovation of both energy sources and power solutions. While use cases for battery electric and fuel-cell electric powertrains are promising, the pairing of green hydrogen in the proven technology of internal combustion engines provides an important complement to future zero-emissions solutions.”

Cummins announced the testing of hydrogen internal combustion technology in July 2021. As of May 2022, Cummins achieved its production power and torque targets (more than 810 ft.-lb. of torque and 290 hp [216 kW] from the medium-duty engine). Cummins believes that the industry needs multiple solutions to meet the needs of all on- and off-highway customers and all applications considering the variation in duty cycles and operating environments. The engine will be a zero-carbon fueled solution for multiple markets. Cummins intends to produce hydrogen internal combustion engines in both the 15-liter and 6.7-liter (1.8-gallon) displacements, believing that these engines enable the industry to take action and reduce GHG emissions this decade, ultimately accelerating carbon reduction. “Working with Cummins to navigate the journey to zero emissions means working with an experienced partner that has the right knowledge, tools, and resources to ensure a smooth transition,” said Jim Nebergall, general manager of Hydrogen Engines at Cummins Inc. “Our customers are responding favorably to this practical technology. These engines look like engines, they sound like engines, and fit where engines normally fit.”

Hydrogen internal combustion engines use zero-carbon fuel at a lower initial price of a fuel cell or battery electric vehicle with little modification to today’s vehicles. Accelerated market adoption of hydrogen engine-powered vehicles is driven by the technology’s high technology maturity, low initial cost, extended vehicle range, fast fueling, powertrain installation commonality, and end-user familiarity. “Heavy-duty trucking is critical to the global economy and is one of the hard-to-abate sectors of the economy,” said Daryl Wilson, executive director of the Hydrogen Council. “We are encouraged by progress at Cummins in the development of hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines and look forward to continued advancements that can help us reach cost-effective decarbonization of economies worldwide.”