The Anonymous Widower

Cummins Debuts Integrated HELM Drivetrain At IAA

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on truckinginfo.com.

This is the sub-heading under a rather informative image.

Cummins’ integrated drivetrain offers fleets three powertrain options: advanced diesel, diesel-hybrid and zero-carbon hydrogen.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Cummins pulled the curtain back on a new integrated drivetrain concept at the IAA Transport Show in Hannover, Germany, on September 17. According to Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins chair and CEO, the newly designed drivetrain is based on the OE’s HELM engine platform. It is also intended to highlight Cummins’ broader product portfolio and continued commitment to providing flexible, sustainable power solutions.

The Cummins HELM engine platform is a fuel-agnostic series of engine versions that are derived from a common base.

The article could be called the Jennifer and Jane Show, after the two people, who provided most of the words.

When I was dealing with large American corporations in the last century, one lady would have been a rarity, but two at the top indicates how Cummins has turned itself into a sustainable company for the twenty-first century.

The Cummins Integrated Drivetrain Concept

The Cummins Integrated Drivetrain Concept is shown in a Cummins image in the trucking.info.com article.

  • Up-front is a 15-litre internal combustion engine, which can be diesel, natural-gas or hydrogen-fueled.
  • As Cummins manufacture fuel cells, I suspect that the motive power can be one or more hydrogen fuel cells.
  • It looks like along each side of the truck are tanks for the hydrogen fuel cells.
  • Between the tanks is a powerful electric motor, that drives the rear axle.
  • The electric rear axle could incorporate batteries for regenerative braking and traction efficiency.

A vehicle of any size between a Fiat 500 and a 44-tonne articulated truck could use this integrated drivetrain concept, with  components sized accordingly.

This is a paragraph from the trucking.info.com article.

Rumsey emphasized that Cummins’ acquisition of Meritor, Siemens Commercial Vehicles and Jacobs Vehicle Systems in recent years means Cummins can now offer full powertrain capability.

Don’t develop your own, if you can buy the best!

Siemens electric motors and Cummins diesel engines  are used in London’s New Routemaster buses.

Could The Cummins Integrated Drivetrain Concept Be Used For A Small Car?

I don’t see why not?

Just watch the Koreans, who are going large on hydrogen.

September 24, 2024 - Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , ,

6 Comments »

  1. Look at the Mazda MX-30 hybrid using a Wankel engine. Wankels are 23% more efficient using hydrogen.

    Comment by impossiblyfancb882d3960 | September 25, 2024 | Reply

    • I wonder if Mazda are experimenting with hydrogen wankels?

      Comment by AnonW | September 26, 2024 | Reply

      • I would think so, as Japan is moving over to hydrogen.

        Comment by John | October 1, 2024

  2. Thanks! Hydrogen wankels could also be good for light aircraft!

    Comment by AnonW | October 1, 2024 | Reply

    • Wankels are excellent for light aircraft having many advantages. They are light, compact, almost vibrationless, and with a high ower to weight ratio. The engine is not susceptible to “shock-cooling” during descent. It does not require an enriched mixture for cooling at high power. Having no reciprocating parts, there is less vulnerability to damage when the engine revolves at a higher rate than the designed maximum.

      Comment by John | October 4, 2024 | Reply

  3. […] Already, large American trucks fitted with the latest Cummins engines can be converted to hydrogen. I write about this in Cummins Debuts Integrated HELM Drivetrain At IAA. […]

    Pingback by Inside A Class 99 – The UK’s Most Powerful Locomotive « The Anonymous Widower | July 11, 2025 | Reply


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