Cummins debuts hybrid PowerDrive at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018
Cummins Inc. has unveiled the PowerDrive, an advanced suite of plug-in hybrid electric powertrain solutions spanning light, medium and heavy-duty applications.
This unique hybrid system is in an electric hybrid utility truck, a Kenworth T370. The PowerDrive replaces the conventional transmission and switches in real time between two hybrid and two pure electric modes, optimising the powertrain for the best fuel
The Cummins PowerDrive system has travelled more than six million miles in a fleet setting in the United States and China, and work is underway to introduce it to the European market in the near future. Its flexible architecture means the PowerDrive system can be combined with various sizes of diesel or natural gas engines and battery pack outputs.
“With a 100-year-long track record of powering our customers‘ success, Cummins demonstrates once again that we are transforming the future of transportation by offering our customers the broadest and most cutting-edge power portfolio backed by our expansive service capabilities,” said Julie Furber, Cummins executive director of electrified power.
“We look forward to discussing how the PowerDrive‘s compact packaging envelope and weight saving benefits will enable OEMs to produce PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) vehicles for diverse needs without compromising performance or range.”
The flexible hybrid architecture seamlessly shifts between pure electric for environmentally sensitive areas with a 50-mile (80 km) range and hybrid for jobs requiring more than 300 miles (480 km). It operates as a hybrid in either series or parallel configuration modes. Series is better suited to low road speeds such as urban driving (stop/start conditions), while parallel is ideal for higher road speeds on the highway. In a series hybrid, the electric motor is the only means of providing power to the wheels. The motor receives electric power from either the battery pack or from the engine-generator. In a parallel hybrid, the engine and electric motor combine to provide the power that drives the wheels. The third mode of electric plus comes online when higher energy is required when the system senses gradient climbing or acceleration for overtaking
The Cummins PowerDrive 6000 is paired with a Cummins B6.7 in the Kenworth T370. The vehicle‘s gross weight is 33,000 lbs (15 mt
Link to video: https://youtu.be/tA0V1xGjD-4