Cummins, Inc. announced at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Frankfurt, Germany, that renewable diesel is now compatible with its Euro 6 engines, including the ISB6.7.
The development means renewable diesel, or RD, could soon become more mainstream in the U.S., Cummins said Wednesday, adding that it is nearing completion on a North American test program to evaluate the compatibility of hydrotreated vegetable oil renewable diesel, or HVO, with EPA regulations.
“HVO diesel and other Paraffinic fuels offer a useful low carbon alternative fuel for transport and have now reached a point of commercial maturity and standardization at which Cummins is pleased to confirm compatibility with our current Euro 6 engine lineup,” said Ashley Watton, director of On-Highway Europe for Cummins.
She added that the HVO test program covered a range of vehicle duty cycles, which makes Cummins “confident that bus and truck operators can undertake a seamless transition to using HVO without impacting their vehicle operations or engine reliability.”
At the STN EXPO in July, alternative fuel experts discussed the emergence of RD in California as potentially the next “plug-and-play” option for school bus operators seeking to go green with a minimal amount of investment.
Only one school district, San Jose Unified in central California, is currently using RD, which is related to biodiesel, but formulated differently. As STN reported in its July edition of the magazine, RD is comprised of various plant and seed oils, such as palm, grape seed and soybeans, as well as animal fats and algae.
RD offers 65- to 90-percent reductions in greenhouse gases, a huge improvement over standard diesel, and 9 percent fewer emissions of NOx. But where it can really make sense for student transporters, experts told STN, is that it requires no additional purchase of equipment or infrastructure. It can literally be pumped directly into a diesel vehicle without voiding the school bus or engine manufacturers’ warranties.
An additional benefit is RD is causing less DPF clogging issues than Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. As a result, Andrew DeBolt, San Jose Unified’s fleet manager, told STN that the district is transitioning its entire fleet to RD, including all transportation department trucks, vans and off-road equipment.
The challenge so far has been where to get the fuel, if fleet operators can find it in the first place. Users have been limited to seeking supplies from two cities, Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon, as well as the Eugene Water and Electric Board, also in Oregon. Users are charged about a 10-cent premium per gallon.
While RD was the highlight, Cummins also addressed renewable natural gas, or RNG. The company reported that the L9N natural gas engine requires no modifications to operate on RNG, also known as biomethane, and the carbon footprint is “equivalent to that of an electric battery system.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story inaccurately included the ISL G natural gas engine as part of the Cummins Euro 6 line that is compatible with renewable diesel.
