Two of the World’s major commercial vehicle driveline specialists corporations have announced they are teaming up to come up with a large diesel electric hybrid driveline for the transit bus market.
Engine and driveline maker Cummins has started collaboration with Allison Transmission to come up with a driveline with better fuel efficiency and lower emissions using a Cummins engine and an Allison electric hybrid propulsion system.
Cummins and Allison say the project ill involve integrating a Cummins B-Series engine with an Allison eGen Flex electric hybrid propulsion system for the transit market saying that the integration will meet the US EPA’s “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3” and that it will provide a ‘reliable low emission propulsion solution in 2027 and beyond’.
“This initiative continues Allison’s position at the forefront of sustainable transportation with our comprehensive portfolio of propulsion solutions, which includes fully electric axles and fuel-efficient conventional transmissions that pair seamlessly with alternative fuels and electric propulsion, in addition to the eGen Flex electric hybrid solution for the transit industry,” said Allison Transmission’s vice president of North America sales, global channel and aftermarket, Rohan Barua.
Allison claims that its eGen Flex offers transit bus agencies a flexible and efficient path to reducing emissions while maintaining high performance and reliability.
The company said that this system is capable of operating up to 50 per cent of a bus’s typical route in engine-off mode, providing a solution that is particularly beneficial in reducing emissions in urban areas.
They added that the system’s electric-only mode is activated through geofencing technology and eliminates engine emissions and noise while loading and unloading passengers and when operating in predefined dense pedestrian areas and zero-emission zones.
