What is the holy grail of Cummins?
At Cummins, the "holy grail" is a scalable zero-emission propulsion portfolio—not a single engine—that can power a wide range of commercial applications with reliability and competitive cost of ownership.
What the phrase signals in Cummins' strategy
The term isn’t the name of a product. It captures a long-running objective: to fuse multiple propulsion technologies into a single, flexible ecosystem that can adapt to different duty cycles, fuels, and regulatory environments. Core to this vision are efficient diesel and natural gas engines for near-term emissions reductions, electrified powertrains for urban and regional use, and hydrogen fuel-cell technology for longer-range, heavy-duty applications — all backed by software, data analytics, and a global service network.
Elements of the holy grail
Components Cummins highlights as essential to achieving the goal include:
- Scalable zero-emission propulsion across markets: on-highway trucks, buses, construction equipment, and stationary power generation
- Hybrid and battery-electric powertrains for urban and regional fleets to reduce tailpipe emissions
- Hydrogen fuel-cell technology and related ecosystems, leveraging Cummins’ Hydrogenics assets and partnerships
- Use of alternative fuels, including natural gas and renewable fuels, to lower lifecycle emissions where full electrification isn’t instantly practical
- Software, analytics, and connectivity to optimize performance, maintenance, and uptime
- Global service and parts networks to support deployment at scale
Taken together, these elements describe the holy grail as a versatile, scalable, and affordable propulsion family capable of dramatically reducing emissions while meeting customers’ needs for reliability and cost efficiency.
Path to scale and milestone framing
To illustrate how the holy grail translates into practical progress, Cummins emphasizes milestones and capability areas that must be developed in concert.
Milestones and capability areas
- Advancing hydrogen fuel-cell capability through its Hydrogenics portfolio and collaborations
- Expanding electrified powertrains and battery-electric solutions for commercial vehicles and industrial equipment
- Maintaining high-efficiency diesel and natural gas engines as transitional options that lower emissions now while enabling longer-term zero-emission goals
These efforts indicate the direction of travel rather than a fixed product roadmap. The holy grail remains the ability to offer customers a plug-and-play mix of clean technologies that meet multiple use cases at scale.
Why it matters for customers and the industry
Regulatory pressures, customer demand for lower total cost of ownership, and the push to decarbonize heavy-duty sectors have put a premium on flexible, scalable powertrains. Cummins positions itself as a multi-technology provider, offering a menu of options rather than a single path to zero emissions. This approach aims to help fleets transition more smoothly while ensuring robust service and parts support globally.
Summary
The holy grail for Cummins is not a single engine but a comprehensive, scalable propulsion ecosystem designed to deliver near-zero emissions across a broad set of applications. Its strategy rests on a diversified technology portfolio—efficient diesel and natural gas engines, electrified powertrains, hydrogen fuel cells—bolstered by software, services, and a global network. If realized at scale, this vision would give customers flexible, reliable, and economically viable paths to cleaner power across industries.
