Cummins Details Progress in Exhaust Gas Recirculation -- EGR -- Technology

    COLUMBUS, Ind.--March 5, 2001--Cummins Inc. announced that it has achieved an important milestone in the development of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology required to meet future emissions requirements, which are legislated at 2.5 grams oxides of nitrogen (NOx) plus non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC).
    This technology was successfully demonstrated on the next generation of the Cummins B series engine and is also being applied to its other medium-duty and heavy-duty products, which are currently in field test.
    Cummins achieved a two percent improvement in fuel economy compared to its current product, reduced NOx by 50%, and reduced the time of unaided cold starts over 80%. In addition, the throttle response of the engine significantly improved from today's product as a result of the variable geometry turbocharging.
    "Cummins first used EGR in the mid-1990's to meet California's tough TLEV (Transitional Low Emissions Vehicle) standards in the Dodge Ram pickup," said Joe Loughrey, Cummins Executive Vice President, President - Engine Business. "We now have further proof that cooled EGR is the best approach for meeting these future emissions requirements. We have successfully reached this point by fully leveraging our earlier EGR experience along with our core competencies in air handling, high pressure fuel injection, combustion technology and controls engineering."
    Exhaust gas recirculation technology allows for a portion of exhaust gas to be reused, effectively reducing exhaust emissions. To take advantage of this technology, Cummins utilized variable geometry turbocharging (VGT) developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, Holset. Further, Holset is the only turbocharger manufacturer in the world successfully selling heavy-duty variable geometry turbochargers today.
    "The results are very promising," said John Wall, Cummins Vice President and Chief Technical Officer. "We are extremely confident in the technology. It is really just an extension of the development path we have been on for some years. All of Cummins automotive engine platforms have been developed to be EGR capable."
    "We extensively researched all technical solutions, and concluded that the only feasible technology for meeting the 2.5 gram (NOx + NMHC) levels is with exhaust gas recirculation," added Wall. "No other option provides the benefits of fuel economy, cost, responsiveness and overall performance, and in our view, no other currently available technology can achieve a 2.5 gram (NOx + NMHC) emissions level in this timeframe."
    Cummins has consistently led in the development of technology that provides lower emission products while at the same time providing its customers with the best life-cycle operating costs. More information on Cummins environmental leadership can be found in the Cummins 2000 Environmental Annual Report, available at http://www501.cummins.com/na/pdf/en/whoweare/environment/enviro_2000.pdf.
    Cummins, headquartered in Columbus, Ind., is the world's largest producer of commercial diesel engines above 50 horsepower. The company provides products and services for customers in markets worldwide for engines, power generation and filtration. Cummins reported sales of $6.6 billion in 2000. Press releases by fax may be requested by calling News on Demand (toll free) at 888-329-2305. Cummins' home page on the internet can be found at http://www.cummins.com.