Cummins, Eaton Expand Powertrain Deal With 12-Liter Diesel, Nat-Gas Combinations

This story appears in the March 17 print edition of Transport Topics.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cummins Inc. and Eaton Corp. said they are expanding their powertrain partnership to include new 12-liter diesel and natural-gas combinations.

The venture builds upon last year’s launch of their 15-liter SmartAdvantage package — and a larger movement to enhance efficiency.

The suppliers said that later this year they will begin offering integrated powertrains that pair Eaton’s automated manual transmissions with the Cummins ISX12 diesel engine and the natural gas-powered Cummins Westport ISX12 G.

Cummins Westport is a joint venture of Cummins and Westport Innovations.

The ISX12 G package will mark the first time that an automated manual transmission will be available with a spark-ignited natural-gas engine in North America, company executives said here March 9 at the annual meeting of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council.

Cummins and Eaton have been working together for decades, but the companies “continue to expand the depth and breadth of our collaboration,” said Lori Thompson, vice president at ­Cummins’ truck and bus original equipment manufacturing business.

The companies designed the SmartAdvantage powertrain to deliver better fuel economy and driver satisfaction while reducing driveline and tire wear, she said.

“With the driver shortage we have today and the challenge of coaching those drivers, the SmartAdvantage powertrain helps make all drivers as efficient as the best drivers,” Thompson said.

The Cummins ISX12 will be combined with Eaton’s Fuller Advantage Series 10-speed automated manual, a pairing that will provide about a 2% to 4% fuel economy improvement for regional applications, the companies said. This offering, currently undergoing field testing, will be available in the fall, they said.

The companies will pair the ISX12 G with Eaton’s UltraShift Plus transmission. That package, centered on linehaul and regional applications, will be available in mid-2014, the companies said.

The ISX12 G can run on compressed or liquefied natural gas.

The new developments are an extension of the suppliers’ initial SmartAdvantage powertrain combination announced at TMC one year ago. That product, which combined Eaton’s Fuller Advantage Series transmission with the ISX15, enhanced fuel efficiency by 3% to 6% over their previous product offering, the companies said.

More than 80 customers have taken delivery of trucks with the SmartAdvantage ISX15 package or have orders on the books, said John Beering, senior vice president and general manager for Eaton’s commercial vehicle transmission business.

Those customers include large and small fleets in a variety of applications, he said.

“The demand curve is really outpacing what we expected for the year,” Beering said.

At this year’s press conference, Cummins and Eaton also announced that they are expanding the original 15-liter SmartAdvantage combination to include heavy-haul applications up to 110,000 pounds.

Ryan Trzybinski, development and product planning manager at Eaton, said that expansion was a response to “strong” customer demand, particularly in Canada.

The closer collaboration between Cummins and Eaton mirrors a trend among truck makers, who have been working to boost efficiency by more tightly integrating their in-house engines and transmissions.

Thompson said the latest collaborative efforts between Cummins and Eaton are not a response to vertical integration at the truck manufacturers, but added that “collaboration is critical” moving forward.

“We know that we need to be working closer together, and we’ve done so,” she said.

“Customers expect an integrated powertrain performance,” said Beering, adding that the truck makers are responding to that same trend.

Executives also hinted at further collaboration between the suppliers moving forward.

“It’s certainly not going to stop with what we’ve talked about today,” Beering said.