Cummins develops fuel-independent engine
Internal combustion engines are living out their days with the total transition of the industry to the production of electric vehicles. But not everyone thinks this is a good idea. And some developers are making efforts to continue using ICE.
So, Cummins in February of this year announced plans to switch to hydrogen. Because hydrogen burns differently than other fuels, Cummins has developed an optimized combustion chamber to mix the combustible mixture.
The company then went even further and introduced a fuel-independent engine. The unit is capable of burning any fuel, although not all at the same time, with slight adaptations for each type of fuel. The technology saves development time and manufacturing money, and increases the flexibility of Cummins customers.
These engines will have the same base under the head gasket and the components above the head gasket will differ depending on the fuel. This is necessary to optimize combustion and increase efficiency, adapting to the characteristics of each fuel. Cummins will take a new approach with the legendary B, L and X series, which will be available to run on diesel, natural gas and hydrogen.
The new engines are expected to be significantly cleaner than comparable engines of the same size and performance, while still emitting a certain percentage of harmful chemicals.