Cummins and Peterbilt team up to develop SuperTruck II

Cummins, Peterbilt looking for 100% improvement in “freight-ton economy”

transporation COLUMBUS, Ind. -Cummins Inc. announced it will partner with Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of PACCAR to develop and demonstrate technologies under the US Department of Energy SuperTruck II program.

The DOE will fund four projects to develop and demonstrate cost-effective technologies that more than double the freight efficiency of Class 8 trucks, commonly known as 18-wheelers, over the 2009 baseline, according to a press release.

“Peterbilt is committed to continue pushing the industry’s technologies to best serve our customers and the environment,” said Darrin Siver, Peterbilt General Manager and PACCAR Vice President.

The goal of the program is to accelerate the pace of reductions in petroleum consumption and GHG emissions of the nation’s freight transportation system.

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“The success of the original SuperTruck program will be the groundwork for SuperTruck II. Our engineers are focused on improving engine efficiency, aerodynamics and other systems technologies to meet Greenhouse Gas (GHG) requirements for model years 2021, 2024 and 2027,” said Siver.

For SuperTruck II, the Cummins–Peterbilt team will focus on breakthrough advances in Class 8 vehicle freight efficiency technologies that are cost-effective enough to be used in everyday real-world applications.

Building on the SuperTruck I, Cummins will develop and demonstrate 55 per cent or greater engine Brake Thermal Efficiency at a 65 mile per hour cruise condition which quantifies the fraction of the fuel’s chemical energy that is converted into useful work by the engine system.

They will also demonstrate a “greater than 100 per cent improvement in vehicle Freight-Ton Economy over the 2009 baseline vehicle, which quantifies the mass and distance of freight transported per unit of fuel consumed.”

The full team of project partners, each playing a vital role, includes Peterbilt, Eaton and Bridgestone. Other key suppliers, labs and universities making critical contributions toward the project goals include Great Dane, Exa Corporation, Meritor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Purdue University.