Cummins South Pacific has confirmed the new X15 Euro 5 engine will hit the Australian market in 2017, replacing the 15 litre ISXe5.
Truck and Bus News reported in the 1 August 2016 edition of eNews that the recently launched X15 would replace the ISXe5, which at the time was denied by Cummins SP.
The X15 Euro 5 specs match the X15 Performance range of the North American market, but uses SCR to meet Euro 5 emissions standards.
The X15 is rated between 450 and 600 horsepower like its predecessor with torque ranging from 2,240 to 2780Nm, and will add the Advanced Dynamic Efficient Powertrain Technology (ADEPT).
According to Cummins South Pacific managing director Andrew Penca, the X15 is a more efficient evolution of the ISXe15.
“The X15 uses the same hardware and emissions reduction technology, SCR, as the existing ISXe5 and incorporates all the product improvements since the ISXe5 release in 2012, including power cylinder, cylinder head and turbocharger upgrades,” Penca said.
ADEPT has been trialled in Australia throughout the year on Eaton 18-speed automated transmissions and is designed to adjust power, torque and gear selection based on from load, speed and grade using its SmartCoast and SmartTorque features.
SmartCoast returns the engine to idle by disengaging the front box of the transmission when on a moderate downhill run in order to maintain momentum and reduce fuel consumption, reengaging on command from the engine, while SmartTorque is intends to ensure the engine is always in the most fuel efficient band of revs and eliminating unnecessary gear shifts.
Director of on-highway business at Cummins SP, Mike Fowler stated the focus is now on efficiency, not emissions.
“Our product development is no longer driven by emissions, but is instead inspired by customer needs and application requirements. The X15 is a sign of what is to come from Cummins in terms of significant efficiency gains for our customers,” he said.
“The X15 builds on the success of the ISXe5 of which more than 6000 have gone into service in Australia and New Zealand since 2013 and has established class-leading reliability, fuel economy and performance.”
Cummins also says the addition adaptive cruise control is due in the not too distant future, as well as over-the-air engine programming, which will allow operators to reprogram or update engines without taking the truck off the road.