Power Onward: S1E6 - Barbie dreamhouse? More like powerhouse 

This has been generated by AI and optimized by a human. 

Show ID [00:00:08]: 

This is Power Onward, the podcast that unveils how power technology shapes your everyday life. 

Show ID [00:00:27]: 

This is Power Onward, the podcast that unveils how power technology shapes your everyday life. 

Kim [00:00:36]: 

What if Barbie's dream house wasn't just pink, but also green? We've all imagined living in a world where everything just works smart, kind of like something out of the Jetsons. But what if that world isn't as far offas it seems? What if we could accelerate the change? Now, ask and you shall receive. In comes Accelera by Cummins. Accelera is an energy technology leader committed to securing a sustainable future. Kim. I'm Kim. 

Katherine [00:01:04]: 

I'm Kat. 

Kim [00:01:05]: 

And today Kat is going to tell us about how the leading edge of power technology is bringing the future closer. Kat, what do you do for Accelera? 

Katherine [00:01:14]: 

What a great question. I do quite a bit. I sit on the Accelera communications team and I do everything from digital marketing, corporate communications, our social media account, all the fun stuff, all of the very, very fun, extroverted energy things that just really get me going for work. That's what I do for the team. 

Kim [00:01:35]: 

Yep. And for the listeners not in the room, she's exuding this aura of extrovert energy. So if you can't feel it, just imagine. So, Kat, tell us what's going on at the frontier of power technology. 

Katherine [00:01:45]: 

Accelera is the zero emissions business segment of Cummins, and we all know Cummins, obviously the absolute powerhouse of engines, empowering the world. So where Accelera comes in, though, is how do you do that cleaner without compromising that legacy of reliability, independence. So we're doing that by investing and accelerating the adoption of technology, such as batteries for commercial vehicles, electric axles, motors, things like that. But then also on the opposite end, where hydrogen plays electrolyzers, which, if you don't know what that is, it is a very, very complicated, fancy machine that turns water into hydrogen. And when you use renewable energy to power it, that hydrogen is considered green. So if you use it as a fuel, it actually has no emissions. 

Kim [00:02:39]: 

This is so fascinating and it's so different from the world that I'm accustomed to. When we come, we talk about diesel fuel, alternative fuels, but I think, dare I say, hydrogen and battery electrolyzers, like, that's kind of like the sexy topic now. 

Katherine [00:02:52]: 

It definitely is. It has always been a hot topic and one that's highly debated. There is some concerns, I think rightly so too, like diesel 100 years legacy, right with Cummins? 

Kim [00:03:04]: 

Totally. 

Katherine [00:03:05]: 

Now, these technologies that Accelera is working on they're not new, but they don't have that same, I guess, history. 

Kim [00:03:11]: 

Yeah. 

Katherine [00:03:12]: 

That people have come to know from Cummins. 

Kim [00:03:13]: 

That dependability, that reliability. I totally get that. It feels like you're venturing into a new world that may be high risk, high reward. 

Katherine [00:03:20]: 

Yeah. It's funny, I always like to say, because social media, I'm like, we're creating almost like a dating profile for them. We gotta kind of pitch them a little bit differently to show, like, hey, I like that this is the new kid on the block. But you know what? Give them a try. You'll be surprised. 

Kim [00:03:35]: 

That analogy rings true. Because I remember moving and being the new kid at the school, and I had to have like, this is my loose leaf sheet of paper with all things I need. This is my scrapbook in my binder. Trapper Keeper. Tells you everything about me in a short glance. 

Katherine [00:03:47]: 

There it is. And that's what we're kind of doing. And it's great being part of Cummins because you'll see all of these other companies, competitors, they're trying to do the same thing, but Accelera has a secret weapon, and that's Cummins. We're funded by Cummins, we're backed by Cummins, and we get all of the perks that come with that. 

Kim [00:04:06]: 

Exactly. And I think that's the most meaningful, most powerful thing, especially navigating this new world, is having that power, that reliability behind everything that you do to ensure that those advancements, they're there for a lifetime. 

Katherine [00:04:18]: 

Absolutely. And I think that's like. Yeah, I'm confident saying that. That's probably our biggest point, too, is all these other companies that are trying to do what we're doing, they can try, but we're the ones that are going to be left standing. 

Kim [00:04:32]: 

I love that I picture that meme with the handshake. 

Katherine [00:04:35]: 

Yes. 

Kim [00:04:35]: 

Like Cummins, Accelero Energy transition future. We're not gonna. 

Katherine [00:04:39]: 

Absolutely. That's us. 

Kim [00:04:40]: 

All right, so I am going to bring us back because we had the other day and we kind of started talking about Barbieland and how Accelera would make Barbie Land operate differently. And it made me think. I'm like, this is the perfect theme. I need to get you on the pod so that we can dig through this. So talk to me, talk to, talk to our listeners. What is Barbie Land going to look like if powered by Accelera? 

Katherine [00:05:04]: 

Oh, my goodness. Well, it could look like anything we want because. And this was inspired, actually, during the Barbie movie promotions where I was obsessed with their marketing and I so badly wanted to be a part of it. And there was the. This Barbie is blank. This Ken is blank, right? So I actually did that. 

Katherine [00:05:21]: 

I mocked up a couple of posts for our technologies. 

Kim [00:05:24]: 

I love that. 

Katherine [00:05:24]: 

And it featured all of our. It featured our batteries, our E axles and electrolyzer. And it all said like the technology. But this is powered by clean energy. So when I think about it, in the scope of Barbie land, Barbie can be anything, so why can't we. 

Kim [00:05:40]: 

That's so perfect. 

Katherine [00:05:41]: 

So Barbie could be an engineer. Who. Her car. Yeah, it's a passenger car. But why can't that be electric? Why can't the land that she lives in, that she curates in her mind be a net zero or zero emission world? 

Kim [00:05:58]: 

Totally. 

Katherine [00:05:59]: 

Yeah. So if it could be like the solar panels are on the ceiling and then there's an electrolyzer providing hydrogen that's being blended actually within the infrastructure to provide heating instead of natural gas heating, why can't it be that. 

Kim [00:06:13]: 

As you're painting this picture, the Barbie dream house that I had as a kid is kind of like shaping itself differently. Like I can see the solar panels on there and I can see the batteries in the buzz. So I love this vision that you're painting. But the reason why Barbieland isn't like this is because it probably takes a little bit more to get there. So talk to me about adaptation or what would it take for Barbieland to actually function like that? 

Katherine [00:06:35]: 

Absolutely. This is very much a kind of chicken or the egg first situation where we kind of see there's four major things that need a shift, but which one goes first? Is it supposed to be infrastructure? Is it technology readiness? The technology is ready, but does it have the backing and the trust that all these other traditional power solutions have? We have to keep building that trust. Is it policy not to get political, but are the governments around the world willing to say, yeah, we're going to place our bets on this? Here's incentives for all of these other original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs to make that jump. Because, not that everyone likes to say it, it's not cheap to shift away from diesel power. 

Kim [00:07:18]: 

Totally. And you said OEM, so for our listeners, break it down. 

Katherine [00:07:21]: 

OEM stands for original equipment manufacturer. They are one of our main customer bases and essentially we are a vendor where they're going to procure and purchase our technologies and then broker them with end users. And that's going to be like fleet owners. So if there's a fleet owner with a school bus fleet, a delivery truck fleet. Those are our kind of main customer bases. 

Kim [00:07:43]: 

So you talked about it's not just the shift in technology, but the shift in the mindset and the infrastructure you mentioned. It's like, it's almost like a vicious cycle because it is know how to operate first because you could have the technology. But if the administration is not behind it, what happens? Or if your customers aren't ready for that technology or to take that leap? You're stuck at square one again. 

Katherine [00:08:02]: 

Absolutely. And it's hard to get that buy in. So, like I said, there's always the four buckets that we kind of look at within Accelera and how I view it, it's like a relay race, but we're not trying to beat one category or the other. We want them to eventually, yeah, they're going to race. Some might have to, like, go ahead. Some might have to lag back for certain things to happen, but by and large, we want to cross that finish line together. 

Kim [00:08:22]: 

I love your analogy. 

Katherine [00:08:24]: 

Thank you. I really only speak in analogies. That is something my team will tell you. I love examples, but it makes things make sense. 

Kim [00:08:30]: 

And yes, I'm not going to lie, when you said relay race, I was like, I think I have a side coming up, but that's just PTSD from elementary school. So I feel like you're working on a lot of exciting things, but what keeps you energized about working on these projects with Accelera by Cummins? 

Katherine [00:08:46]: 

Oh, gosh, so many things. One, I've always been really passionate about sustainability. I think in the day and age we live in, with technology giving us information so readily, it's hard to ignore what is actually happening. 

Kim [00:08:59]: 

Right. 

Katherine [00:09:00]: 

So when it comes to my personal life, I always look for ways where, okay, how can I reduce, reuse, recycle that campaign in elementary school? I took that to heart. Yes, you did. So the fact that I'm working for Cummins and on their team that's dedicated to zero emissions. Oh, my gosh, Kindergarten me. She'd be so proud. 

Kim [00:09:18]: 

I'm proud. I'm proud to know you. I'm proud to have the conversations we have because in the scheme of energy transition, there is just so much uncertainty. But even the conversations that we have on a day to day, they kind of reel me back in and they ground me. Because to your point, these are some things that we, we thought of as when we were kids and our younger selves would be so proud of us to be a part of making this change within this uncertain world that we live in absolutely. 

Katherine [00:09:41]: 

And that leads me to. The second thing that energizes me is I love talking about this with other people because I love being able to connect the dots. 

Kim [00:09:49]: 

Yes. 

Katherine [00:09:50]: 

I am a firm believer that the people's passion for anything, I can find something in common with them strictly based on their passion for it. So when it comes to taking these really complex ideas of changing the entire infrastructure of a city to integrate battery charging stations, an electrolyzer for hydrogen production, all of those things to make a city run cleaner, I can link that back to almost anything. 

Kim [00:10:14]: 

The potential for everything is. Everything that you've talked about is just so exciting. And I get it. It does keep you energized. It keeps me energized. And the energy that you bring to the office, to all of your colleagues every day, I feel like you just exude that, like, we've got a mission. Come on, people, let's do this thing. And so I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to share some of that with us. 

Katherine [00:10:33]: 

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. It is an absolute pleasure. And yeah, I have to also just give a shout out to all of Accelera. They have been the most resilient team I have ever had the pleasure of working with. All of our engineers, our project managers, our VPs, everyone from leadership down, they are just doing it. We are doing it fast, we are doing it differently, and man, do we meet roadblock after roadblock. But I've never met people more determined to succeed than this team. 

Kim [00:11:03]: 

It is literally to power a more prosperous world. 

Katherine [00:11:07]: 

Yeah. 

Kim [00:11:07]: 

And they're doing it heads down, just trying to do it. And I feel like Accelera team is kind of front of mind from that. But I feel like everyone in the office always has that energy too. And so I'm with you. Let's just keep working. Let's keep trying to solve these problems. The chicken before the egg. I don't know, but first, I guess, what's for lunch? 

Katherine [00:11:24]: 

Ooh, good question. 

Kim [00:11:28]: 

Thanks, Kat. 

Katherine [00:11:29]: 

Thanks for having me, Kim. 

Kim [00:11:31]: 

All right, so what's the big idea for this episode? Electrolyzers, fuel cells. next gen batteries, traction systems. These aren't just a concept from a sci-fimovie. They're here shaping industries, transportation, and maybe even the way we think about power at home. If you grew up dreaming of a high tech, effortlessly sustainable world, whether it looks like Barbieland or the Jetsons, that vision is closer than you think. Engines fueled by hydrogen batteries that keep commercial vehicles running. It's happening. If you want to dig deeper, check out the Show Notes for more on Accelera by Cummins and the innovations redefining the future of power. Because the dream house of tomorrow, it's going to run on something better than imagination. 

Show ID [00:12:15]: 

Power Onward thank you for listening to Power Onward. Your support means the world to us. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast platform. If you want to dig deeper on what we covered today, check out the show notes for additional links or go to cummins.com/podcast until next time. Power Onward we're from Cummins, the company that's been innovating toward the future for more than 100 years. We're no strangers to rapid change, global shifts, and economic uncertainty. We want to be your constant during the energy transition, whenever, wherever, forever. Power Onward.