Cummins to Partner with Peterbilt on SuperTruck II

Cummins will partner again with Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of PACCAR, to develop and demonstrate technologies under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SuperTruck II program.

“Cummins and the entire team is focused on developing technologies that can transform the industry and help our customers be more successful while continuing to be great stewards of the environment. Combining some of the best technical minds available for this project, I am confident that we can reach our goals and deliver results that are a win for our customers, a win for our organizations and a win for the environment,” said Wayne Eckerle, Cummins Vice President of Research and Technology.

“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 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.”

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 real-world applications. Building on the solid foundation of SuperTruck I, Cummins will develop and demonstrate 55 percent or greater engine Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) at a 65 mile per hour cruise condition and the full team will demonstrate a greater than 100 percent improvement in vehicle Freight-Ton Economy (FTE) over the 2009 baseline vehicle.

BTE quantifies the fraction of the fuel's chemical energy that is converted into useful work by the engine system. FTE quantifies the mass and distance of freight transported per unit of fuel consumed.

“These investments will accelerate the development of innovative vehicle technologies that will save businesses and consumers money at the pump, cut carbon emissions, and strengthen our economy,” said Acting Assistant DOE Secretary David Friedman. “SuperTruck II builds on the successful SuperTruck I program, which has already led to more than twenty fuel saving technologies that have reached the commercial market.”

Cummins and Peterbilt teamed together for SuperTruck I, first demonstrating more than 50 percent BTE and analytically defining technologies needed to achieve 55 percent BTE. Their demonstration tractor-trailer averaged a 76 percent increase in drive cycle FTE and a 43 percent reduction in GHG emissions versus a 2009 baseline truck – all significant improvements.

As evidence of the favorable market impact that DOE partnered research and development continues to have, many of the engine and drivetrain efficiency improvements and vehicle power demand reductions pioneered in SuperTruck I are headed for production with the latest model year 2017 product offerings by Cummins, Peterbilt and its key product delivery partners.

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. The team’s customer council, led by Walmart Transportation, LLC, will provide important information on routes, technology needs, and critical market input, aimed at fostering more rapid market adoption of SuperTruck technologies.