E85-Fueled Engine Cuts CO2 by Up to 80%, Cummins Says
 

Cummins says it’s developing an E85-fueled engine that reduces carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 80% compared with a baseline gasoline-powered medium-duty truck engine.

The work was jointly funded by Cummins in partnership with the California Energy Commission, with support from Allison Transmission, Valvoline division of Ashland Inc., and Freightliner Custom Chassis. CEC is providing $2,712,140 and project participants are providing a minimum of $3,790,027, the commission said.

Called Ethos 2.8L, the engine is a spark-ignition adaption of a 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel previously shown by Cummins. Its fuel, E-85, is a clean-burning blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, said Wayne Eckerle, vice president for research and technology.

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, accounting for the vast majority of greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States. It is thought to be contributing to climate change around the world.

More than 1,000 miles and 1,500 hours have been accumulated on the Ethos 2.8L engine over the past 2.5 years, demonstrating that this technology is capable of far exceeding the 50% CO2 emissions reductions outlined in the project's goals.

A final on-road validation testing phase has been underway in the Sacramento, Calif., area since June and continuing into this month. It is being managed by Cummins Pacific, the California and Hawaii distributor for Cummins.

"The Cummins Ethos engine, developed through a research partnership with CEC, clearly demonstrates that by combining innovative engine design and combustion approaches with low-carbon alternative fuels, we can determine a path to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," said Eckerle.

"Cummins produces industry-leading emissions-controls technologies and products, and we continue to explore new ways to make our company stronger and our customers more successful, while reducing our environmental footprint," he said.

The Ethos engine operates at diesel-like cylinder pressures and incorporates advanced spark-ignition design, he said. Its output, up to 250 horsepower and 450 pound-feet, is similar to gasoline and diesel engines nearly twice its 2.8-liter displacement.

The Cummins Ethos 2.8L engine also incorporates an integrated stop-start system, which further reduces fuel consumption and emissions. In stop-start mode, the engine shuts down after the vehicle comes to a complete stop and the brake pedal remains depressed. As the driver lifts his foot from the brake, the system automatically starts the engine to allow acceleration from the stop.

Cummins-integrated specific system controls, along with a strong starter, smart alternator and sensors, are designed to handle the additional stop-start duty cycle and maintain reliable operation over the life of the engine, according to the company.

Cummins worked closely with Allison to integrate a 2000 Series automatic transmission for efficient urban-type operation. The transmission is equipped with hydraulic circulation features to ensure smooth operation and quick vehicle launch during stop-start driving.

Additional partners in the project included Valvoline, which supplied NextGen engine oils specifically designed for lower CO2 emissions, and Freightliner Custom Chassis, which provided a prototype MT45 Class 5 walk-in van.

Using corn-derived E-85, the high thermal efficiency and power-to-weight ratio of the engine results in 50 to 58% lower well-to-wheels CO2 emissions compared with the gasoline engine baseline.

Using second-generation lignocellulosic-derived E-85, the powertrain's efficiency features deliver 75 to 80% lower well-to-wheels CO2 emissions, depending on the drive cycle.

Cellulosic E-85 is less intensive in land use, tilling, fertilizing and harvesting than corn-derived E-85. Although not in high-volume production today, cellulosic ethanol represents a promising production pathway for future fuels, Cummins and CEC said.

More information about the Cummins Ethos 2.8L engine and California's Ultra-Low Carbon Powertrain Program is at DRIVE: California's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program - Projects.

Not sure about Cummins releasing it only as an E85-fed engine, one can easily guess they're probably planning to also offer it in a CNG/LNG-fed version. Anyway, they could follow Scania's footsteps and try ethanol in a regular compression-ignition engine...

More importantly, cant it "Roll Coal"? :thumbup:

Cummins already makes diesels engines converted over to spark ignition so they can run natural gas. It happens every day right down the street from me at the cummins factory.

The huge leap from natural gas to E85 just means they have to come up with a different fuel induction system.

If only that 80% reduction in the use wasn't offset by the increase from the production. Meanwhile people around the world starve while we burn food.

Cellulosic ethanol is a good way to decrease the impact of ethanol in the food availability, but we also may remember the distillation-dried grain leftover from corn ethanol brewing is a high-protein substract that can be used to feed livestock and eventually also be used in industrially-processed human food as a cheaper alternative to soy-derived protein.

Brazil has the way to do ethanol down from sugar, corn is dumb but maybe we will learn something in the process. If this global warming thing works out then maybe we can do sugar as well. If not natural gas should be given the subsidies instead of ethanol in the US.

Brazil has some market for corn ethanol too, but it's mostly restricted to Mato Grosso state where some ethanol mills are "flex" and can alternate from sugarcane to corn and sorghum according to the season and the harvest. Actually, the ethanol is often pointed as a byproduct of the processing of corn in order to get the high-protein DDG which has been more popular as a livestock food due to the prices lower than soy-based products.

Anyway, E85 is a stupidity, back here we have used pure E96h ethanol (with about 4% water content) since the military regime.

I agree on that, what the heck was the point of e85 when you end up needing (from a commercial standpoint) a special car to burn it anyway?

Might as well of had hydrous and just installed glowplugs or ether start. That way the car would always start and you wouldn't need special dry, expensive and energy intensive ethanol.

The North American Climate is why we have E85.
 

The 15% gasoline content is enough to ensure good cold start performance in all but the coldest climes. Brazil has less issues with the temperature extremes.