The future starts here with Cummins Powertrain Test Facility

Cummins’ fuel-agnostic Powertrain test facility, the first of its type globally for the power solutions giant and believed to be the only one in Europe, is up and running at Darlington in northern England.

The two-storey site puts Cummins at the forefront of ultra-low and zero-emissions power technologies and the drive to improve air quality.

The facility will play a crucial role in the development of the fuel-agonistic Cummins HELM™ platform, as well as Accelera by Cummins products, in addition to supporting the continued development work on the hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE).

More than $16.65m has been invested in the 738sqm site that will significantly increase Cummins’ testing capacity, focusing on a wider range of vehicles and machinery powered by hydrogen, renewable natural gas, advanced diesel, or battery electric.

It is also the latest standout element of Cummins’ Destination Zero™ strategy, supporting the company and its customers’ energy transition goals.

Tom Partridge, Cummins director of laboratory operations within European Technical Operations, said Cummins engineers were expanding their capabilities using highly advanced dynamometers to test chassis-installed powertrains.

Previously focused predominantly on engine testing, they can now develop full drivelines for on-road use, from compact SUV (sport utility vehicle) size to 44-tonne trucks and double-decker buses, plus off-road use in construction and agricultural machines. These can be two- or four-wheel drive.

The powertrains are driven in the test chamber by a robotic driver which is known as ‘VERA’ (Virtual Engineer Robotic Assistant).

The new Powertrain test facility and wider Cummins engineering focus also support compliance with regulatory standards, including those linked to CO₂ heavy-duty vehicle emissions and the upcoming Euro 7, which lays down emission limits for road vehicles and battery durability. Euro 7 comes into force on May 29, 2028 for HDV.

“We expect to pull in work from all over the world,” says Tom Partridge. “For example, I expect we’ll have 15-25 on-highway trucks in a year, each being here for an average of two to three weeks.

“OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) will likely come and use it for some of their internal powertrain testing, including some testing of non-Cummins powertrains, which will be fine.”

The new Darlington Powertrain test facility has undergone a full CFD (computational fluid dynamics) assessment. CFD uses computers to predict liquid and gas flows based on the governing equations of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy.

“One of the most important things in making a fuel-agnostic Powertrain test facility is the need to be safe in hydrogen mode,” says Tom Partridge.

“It took five to six weeks for 20+ computers to do the full CFD. It included analysing what would happen if we had a credible hydrogen leak on a vehicle and an ignition source.

“The CFD told us we needed to protect the people in the control room and our assets at the back of the facility. As a result, the facility’s concrete walls have the highest level of blast protection, including tethered blast-relief panels.

“In the worst-case hydrogen leak scenario, the walls would move but not crack and carry on supporting everything. This was a big part of the blood, sweat and tears Emma Laidler, (Cummins ETO powertrain operations manager) and I experienced during the four-year build.”

Cummins’ Darlington campus also contains a pilot centre for customer equipment repowering. The pilot centre and Powertrain test facility operate as the company’s European Technical Operations division.

The Darlington engine plant assembles Cummins’ 3.8, 4.5, 6.7, 9-litre, and natural gas-powered engines. Darlington is also home to Cummins’ Emission Solutions division, where automotive and industrial aftertreatment production, development and testing occur, and to Cummins Business Services and support staff.

Tom Partridge highlights that further earmarked investment in the Darlington site includes a new $30 million Long Block engine assembly line, upgrades to the Short Block engine assembly line, and transferring the company’s Euro 6 Module line to Darlington.

Seeing the big picture on emissions

The Darlington Powertrain test facility story begins back in 2018 when Tom Partridge was invited to be part of a group charged with looking at what it would take to get Cummins beyond Euro 6 on-highway engine emission regulations to meet Euro 7.

What became clear was the need to move to vehicle-level rather than just engine-level understanding and development.

Tom says going forward, it will be important to assess the pollutant emissions Euro 7 brings in conjunction with the vehicle-level CO₂ emissions and VECTO (Vehicle Energy Consumption calculation Tools).

“When you look at what Cummins can do, we can do engines, transmissions and axles. We are not yet doing tyres, and we are not doing aerodynamics. Those two parts are down to OEMs.

“My research and others supporting me found that we needed vehicle-level fuel consumption testing capability to have high confidence in our actions.

“We also needed fuel-agnostic engine testing capability, an understanding of a much wider range of duty cycles, and, with Euro 7, a deep understanding of how to analyse a lot lower pollutants.”

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Game Changer

Cummins' Powertrain test facility can test a range of power technologies without being limited to a specific fuel type. Using state-of-the-art technology and systems, the facility has a wealth of capabilities, including: 

Testing powertrains: The facility can test powertrains, chassis-installed powertrains, and vehicles.

Fuel types: Powertrains running on advanced diesel, natural gas, zero-carbon hydrogen fuel and battery electric technologies can all be tested.

Dynamometers: Advanced dynamometers with energy recovery systems generate electricity that can be used across the Cummins site and reduce the impact on the local grid.

Sustainable power: The facility generates its own sustainable power.

Water conservation: Rainwater is harvested, reducing water consumption.

Robotic driving: Allocated test facilities in place for fully robotic driving.

Road, load and wheel-slip: The facility has road-grade, load and wheel-slip simulation capabilities.

Engine duty cycle: Capability to recreate engine duty cycles.

This article is part of the 2025 Edition Cummins Europe Magazine, to read more European articles click here: 

Cummins Europe Magazine