If you ever doubted the ability of young minds to grasp what many adults would consider complex concepts, then you'll be amazed by the achievements of two groups of young children - one in a school in northern England, and the other 4,000 miles away in an orphanage in Uzbekistan.

With the support of Cummins, children ranging from six to twelve years of age have managed to bridge the language, culture, and time divide. They are collaborating with great success on building a basic electric racing car.

The story begins with a visit by Cummins to Rudmash Export Service, which has been representing Cummins in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, since 2018.

Rudmash has an impressive list of clients in mining, construction, gas, and power generation.

It is also a highly respected supporter of community initiatives, a key focus for Cummins.

During the visit, Amit Kumar, Cummins' Technical Territory Manager for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, mentioned the work he was doing with local schools involving the Greenpower Education Trust in the UK.

Amit suggested that Rudmash might consider introducing local children to the fantastic learning opportunity that comes from building an electric car.

The Rudmash executive team loved the idea and reached out to their friends at the local orphanage (Children’s Home 22), about the proposed connection with children from West Park Academy – a primary school near Cummins' manufacturing plant in Darlington, England.

Speaking through a translator, Rudmash Sales Manager Mr. Mavlonberdi Akhmedov said there was no hesitation from the orphanage. "Everyone was excited about it," he said. "When we showed them pictures of the car, the children's eyes lit up with interest.

"The only issue we encountered was not being able to involve the older children, but I think Amit has something in his mind for them. It will involve a similar collaboration with a UK school on a larger electric car that they can fit in!"

Over in Darlington, teacher Mr. David Fraser and his group of 9 to 11-year-olds were thrilled at the prospect of working with children from another country.

"Before our first session, I showed the children a map of Uzbekistan and explained how the time zones worked," Mr. Fraser said. "Tashkent is four hours ahead of us."

"When they started hearing a different language, they were a little hesitant although still excited. However, towards the end, once they got used to the translation pauses, lots of questions were being asked."

"They adapted very quickly, and every session with the orphanage has become more engaging. The children have greatly benefited from the relationship. It's been a great learning experience."

The car involved in the project is called the Greenpower Goblin G2. It comes as a flat-pack kit including chassis, wheels, steering, disc brakes, a 24V electric motor, and two 12V batteries.

"The project is all about inspiring young children to take an interest in engineering in a fun and innovative way," said Amit Kumar, who earlier this year received special recognition at the North-East England STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Awards for his years of dedication to STEM Education.

"The build introduces children to basic mechanics and electronics and might be the first step on the pathway to a career in engineering or another STEM field.

Mr. Fraser said the children soon started discussing aspects of the car such as frames, brakes, and steering geometry. There was a lively question-and-answer session on different materials that could be used to design and make the car's body. Their last session was about controls and driving.

"There are also other general discussions, as the children are eager to learn more about each other's countries," said Amit, who leads the sessions.

Rudmash service engineer Mr. Abdullayev Shakhzod said the children were enjoying the experience of working in teams.

"It's a fantastic new chapter in the history of a place that has a storied past. It was established in 1942 during the Second World War to care for evacuees from all over Eastern Europe. Children of over 40 different nationalities have been cared for by this children's home.

"The home is named Antonina Pavlovna Khlebushkina after the woman who ran it in the early days. She would be so proud of what is happening there today.

"As the summer vacation times differ in the two countries, the West Park school children have already finished building their cars, while the Uzbekistan car is about 40% complete.

"When the children return from their summer camp in September, they will start the rear axle, motor, and electrical components. Then they can take it for a drive," Amit said.

"Just before their summer term ended, the West Park children conducted a demonstration for their new friends in Tashkent. They set up a track and showcased driving the car on it. It was a great success."

Mr. Akhmedov, speaking through a translator, mentioned that the management team at Rudmash was considering how the project could expand beyond the children's home and into schools and youth organizations throughout Uzbekistan.

Mr. Akhmedov praised Cummins for their support of the project. "They have shown great responsibility at every stage and been very proactive, always striving to ensure things are done right.

"This is just the beginning for these children. It's already motivating them to learn more and develop their skills in broader technical applications.

"I would say that this project is not only important for the children's home but also for our city of Tashkent and the Republic of Uzbekistan, as it is nurturing an educational culture that is highly valuable. I can't thank Amit and Cummins enough."

Amit expressed that it's a privilege to help Cummins inspire young people about engineering and science from an early age.

This is the first of a series of articles on powertrain technologies Cummins is looking to introduce on the path to zero emissions by 2050.

Internal combustion engine (ICE) technologies are an important transitory step for the trucking industry as Cummins pursues net-zero carbon by 2050 under its Destination Zero strategy, which is to go further, faster to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality impacts of its products. 

Cummins’ ICE technologies focus on advanced diesel, gas and hydrogen, which will provide clean, cost-effective power to customers in the years ahead and help Cummins achieve an interim goal of lowering emissions from newly sold products by 25% by 2030.

“Many Australian and New Zealand trucking businesses – owner-operators, small, medium and even large fleets – who are vital to both countries’ road transport efficiency into the future, will only remain in business with affordable technologies to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Mike Fowler, director and general manager of on-highway business for Cummins Asia Pacific.

He says getting to zero emissions in the heavy-duty trucking industry will not be a “light switch event” and that the pathway to the target will require some transition through lower carbon solutions while the economic, operational and infrastructure challenges of zero emission vehicles are solved.

Importantly, the industry needs multiple solutions to meet the needs of all on and off-highway customers with their variety of duty cycles and operating environments. The pace of transition will not only be driven by customer requirements but also infrastructure investment and regulatory advancements.

“There are still significant efficiency gains Cummins can achieve with diesel internal combustion technology to further reduce greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions and atmospheric pollutants,” Fowler points out.

“Heavy-duty trucking today requires the power density and operational range that only diesel internal combustion can provide,” he adds. “This is particularly relevant in Australia with its challenging operating environment.”

A new big bore Cummins diesel engine in the pipeline will further reduce carbon emissions with fuel savings of more than 10% compared with Cummins’ current X15 Euro 6 engine.

Cummins Inc. president and CEO, Jennifer Rumsey, emphasized recently that an important step in getting to net-zero was about making existing technologies more efficient.

“We can make a big difference by improving the efficiency of diesel engines in the next decade. Those products will be out there for many years beyond that. We shouldn’t just focus on zero only, we need a combination of advancing zero and improving engine-based products that we have today.”

Cummins recently announced the development of natural gas and hydrogen internal combustion engines – designated X15N and X15H – which were showcased at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event, where they attracted a lot of attention.

Debuting a clean hydrogen-burning engine is one thing. Having the fuel infrastructure in place to support it is another. The good news in Australia is that Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian state governments recently announcing collaboration on a renewable ‘green’ hydrogen refuelling network for heavy trucks on the nation’s most critical roads and highways, starting with the Hume Highway, Pacific Highway and Newell Highway.

NSW aims to have 10,000 heavy vehicles powered by green hydrogen by 2030.

Both the X15H and X15N are based on an entirely new 15-litre design which offers a weight saving of around 200 kg over the current X15 diesel engine. 

They also highlight Cummins’ new ‘fuel-agnostic’ engine platform – an industry first – which offers different versions of the same base engine. The bottom-end of the engines looks the same, while unique cylinder heads are designed to accommodate a different low or zero carbon fuel.  Each engine within the platform can run on one specific fuel using familiar internal combustion engine technology.

Hydrogen is an energy dense, carbon-free fuel and offers benefits in terms of range, payloads and fast refuelling times. The hydrogen engine itself is not completely CO2-free in that small amounts of oil in the crankcase still make their way to the combustion chamber where they’re burned, emitting a small amount of carbon through the tailpipe. NOX levels drop substantially in hydrogen combustion versus conventional diesel, by at least 75% from today’s most stringent standards.
The hydrogen engine offers performance comparable to a diesel and is virtually a drop-in replacement for a traditional engine, the major modification to a truck’s architecture being the addition of a hydrogen fuel system.

The natural gas X15N is scheduled for release in 2024 and will be offered with peak ratings of 500 hp and 1850 lb ft of torque. The engine can achieve carbon negativity when fuelled with renewable natural gas – or biogas – using methane collected from organic waste as the primary fuel source.

Premier US fleet Werner Enterprises, which is focused on reducing its carbon footprint, will begin validation and integration of the X15H and X15N in its trucks in the second half of 2022.