Reversing Course
Do you buy Cummins’ engines in your heavy-duty vehicles? Were you counting on avoiding the whole SCR/urea issue in 2010 buy spec’ing Cummins ISX engines with enhanced EGR? Hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to rethink your plans.
Yesterday Cummins announced that it is changing its strategy for meeting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2010 diesel emissions requirements for lower NOx levels. The company had previously announced that it would meet the 2010 standards for its medium-duty engines using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and urea, while its heavy-duty engines would rely solely on enhanced EGR and therefore avoid the use of SCR and liquid urea, which many consider cumbersome and inconvenient.
The beauty of Cummins’ original plan, of course, was that users would not have to refill a urea tank on their trucks, something the company was not shy about promoting. But yesterday that all changed. The company announced that, due to rising fuel prices and technological advances in the construction of SCR aftertreatment devices, it will now equip its 11.9 and 15 liter ISX engines for 2010 with SCR devices. That means that any truck with one of these engines will have to have a urea tank, and the drivers of those vehicles will have to fill those urea tanks regularly, or risk damaging their trucks and being in violation of the law.
What made the difference? Well, the Cummins folks explained that new materials being used to make SCR devices have made it possible to switch to this technology and actually save fuel. Seems that $4 a gallon really has been the tipping point…
Since every other engine maker is already planning to use SCR and urea, it simply means that Cummins is joining the crowd, and there’s no harm in that. Of course, you lose an option, and that’s never good. And, if you were planning your 2010 purchases based on Cummins’ previous plans, you might not be too happy about that.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Concerned about the operational cost of the urea itself. I have not seen an actual figure on consumption or volume per mile or hour. Not to mention chassis space for an additional tank.
This snowball is out of control. We can’t save the planet overnight.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
We have purchased 128 ‘09 Cummins ISX and were told by Cummins (VP of Sales) that their engine would not have to use SCR in 2010. Now, it seems that they have changed their minds. I beleive that this is related to the EPA credits that they are not getting from other Cummins engine sales.
As Blain said, I am concerned about the urea and it’s tank. I have no frame rail space now with all the equipment hanging on the frame. Since urea freezes at 22 degrees, OEM’s and TruckStops will have to figure out how to keep urea from freezing. We can only thanks our tree hugger friends.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:22 pm
As someone that works for an International Dealer this development is interesting and raises the stakes for us. International MaxxForce 11 & 13 Liter engines will NOT use SCR. The current SCR set up looks like another system to watch with added complication as well as weight. Some fleets can’t get drivers to check the oil, antifreeze and tire pressure. You have to know that there will be significant added maintenance to the Urea system, no matter what anyone says. The temperature has to be controlled because the freeze and boiling points are within normal operating temperature for most of the country. All on the backs of the Truck Owners and Operators, giddy up! Again. We have our fingers crossed.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Seems like the non proprietary engine brands are having some sort of truth issues. First CAT with the long term lie and now this. I guess I don’t have to wonder why the foreign brands are making inroads?
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Blain — If you are at TMC next month, see the TF meeting on “Diesel Exhaust Fluid” where work is going on to write an RP addressing some (not all) of your concerns about urea.