In 2024, according to Puneet Jhawar, general manager of global spark ignited and fuel delivery systems, Cummins will launch the X15N big bore natural gas engine. “X15N is an option for fleets looking to start decarbonizing now, and it will be certified to meet CARB 2024 emissions regulations,” he said.
The X15N can produce 500 HP and 1,850 lb.-ft of torque and Cummins expects the engine to have up to 10% better fuel economy than their current 12-liter natural gas engine, the ISX12N, with similar ratings and duty cycles.
“Natural gas engines can offer major environmental benefits when using renewable natural gas and have a lower carbon intensity score than any other on-road fuel,” Jhawar said. “Depending on the feedstock source, they can have a sub-zero carbon intensity score.”
A field test program for the X15N that is closing in on one million miles of use includes 25 trucks with 16 fleets in linehaul, regional and vocational applications. The engine, Jhawar reported, has seen 107-degree heat during summer testing and sub-zero temperatures during winter testing, and it’s also climbed to more than 12,000 feet of elevation.
The Cummins X15N can be ordered through Peterbilt and Kenworth, and will be offered by Freightliner in 2025. Limited production of the Cummins X15N starts this spring and full production will begin this summer.
