Cummins to launch Electric Powertrain in CVs by 2019
Published On Aug 16, 2017
Outlining the company’s plan to lead in emerging technologies, Cummins’ top officials highlighted the paradigm shift the company is undergoing.
Cummins India Ltd., the country’s leading manufacturer of diesel and natural gas engines, and a part of the seven entities of the parent company in the country, revealed its plans to lead innovation in emerging technologies on Wednesday, August 9, 2017. Top officials from Cummins Inc., the parent company of Cummins India, were present at the Cummins India Office Campus, Pune, to elaborate on the direction the company will be taking to adapt to the evolving market demands. Among other highlights, officials from Cummins Inc. laid particular stress on electrification, digitization and indigenization of technologies to lead in emerging technologies.
Speaking at the press conference, Srikanth Padmanabhan, President, Cummins Engine Business, highlighted how the company wasn’t merely a diesel engine manufacturer but a powertrain company. With the auto industry gradually transitioning towards electrified vehicles, Padmanabhan stated that the company will have a full production unit - a Cummins electrified powertrain system in a customer vehicle and on the road by 2019, and Range Extended Electric Vehicle in 2020. Even though the technology won’t be brought to India immediately, the company will be ready with the tech whenever the demand arises.
Another aspect highlighted at the press conference was the increasing role of data, analytics -- and hence, digitalization -- in the product development process. Sherry Aaholm, VP and Chief Information Officer, Cummins Inc., explained how monitoring problems through advanced technology has helped bus owners in North America reduce unnecessary maintenance runs by 70 per cent. Aaholm also elaborated on the recent launch of the Digital Accelerator by the company. Digital Accelerator incubates business ideas from the idea stage to turning it into a new venture or launching them back into the business. The group recently launched an independent company called Zed Connect. Zed Connect offers a smartphone app called Zed to electronically and remotely manage small fleet of trucks. It is designed to electronically log hours for truck drivers and provide other benefits to drivers and fleets.
Jennifer Rumsey, VP and Chief Technical Officer, Cummins Inc., explained how the company is increasingly indigenizing technologies to tailor products to the needs of a particular market. Through what the company calls ‘Fit for Market’, it is strengthening its technical centers in India, China, the UK and the US to work closely with customers. Speaking about the same, Sandeep Sinha, COO, Cummins India, said, “In order to bring newer technologies to emerging markets like India, our focus shifts towards not just bringing the basic technology, but also towards how we get it to the India duty cycle, how to make it more fuel efficient, lowering the total cost of ownership for the customer etc.”
While the company cleared the air on a lot of future technologies like electric powertrains for CVs, there still remains a lot of confusion surrounding Cummins’ approach to BS-VI transition. Stay tuned to TrucksDekho as we bring you more inside news on the same.