Cummins Inc. unveiled its new medium-duty, five-liter diesel engine for school buses that promises reduced noise, vibration and harshness while improving fuel economy by 20 to 40 percent over a comparable gasoline engine.
The compact and lightweight Cummins ISV5.0 V8 offers 200 to 275 horsepower while delivering 520 to 560 pounds per foot of torque. It will also be available to the pick-up and delivery, light- and medium-truck and motorhome markets.
A company spokesman confirmed that the ISV5.0 will eventually be an additional option to the medium-duty market, with the ISB6.7L remaining as an offering. For the school bus market, the first commercial production of the ISV5.0 is slated for the fourth quarter of 2014.
In August, Cummins announced that Nissan will use the new ISV5.0 turbocharged diesel in its Titan truck.
The engine uses an aftertreatment system that combines a DPF with SCR for “near zero emissions,” the company said during a press event at corporate headquarters. The engine also relies on the Cummins VGT Turbocharger, cooled EGR to reduce oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter emissions. An in-tank dosing module eliminates coolant lines.
A two-stage fuel filter system for the ISV5.0 features the latest NanoNet™ media from Cummins Filtration, to ensure that the fuel system is fully protected against fuel contamination. NanoNet’s unique construction provides lower fuel-flow restriction and traps greater than 99 percent of all particles as small as 4 microns, smaller than the naked eye can see.
Cummins Filtration’s expertise also extends to a high-efficiency coalescing filter to eliminate crankcase hydrocarbon emissions and oil mist, further adding to the clean-engine credentials of the ISV5.0.
The company added that the inherent diesel durability of the ISV5.0 will provide higher residual value for operators at a lower price point.
Cummins has been working on the concept in earnest for the past seven years, but the ISV5.0 has roots that go back to the late 1990s with a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
A ride and drive event showcasing the reduced noise yet similar power as the ISB was held Friday at Cummins for members of the trade and local press. Test vehicles equipped with the ISV5.0 include a school bus loaded with sandbags to replicate a fully loaded route at 31,000 GVWR. Other test vehicles on hand include a delivery van, a work truck and a motorhome.
