Cummins in JV Feasibility Study for Light-Duty Diesels in China
08 March 2006
Cummins and China’s Beiqi Foton Motor Company have signed a feasibility study plan for the formation of a 50/50 joint venture company to produce two types of light-duty diesel engines for use primarily in the commercial market in China.
The proposed joint venture—Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Company—would be based in Beijing and would produce two types of engines based on Cummins designs. The joint venture is expected to begin operation this year, with production starting as early as 2008.
The feasibility study is the last step before Cummins and Beiqi Foton, a publicly-traded company based in Beijing, sign the joint venture agreement, and it outlines the parameters of the partnership.
The two companies are expected to invest capital, equipment, land and technology in the joint venture. The engines produced by the joint venture will be suitable for use in a range of applications, including light-duty commercial trucks, pickup trucks, SUVs, MPVs, small construction equipment, marine and mobile power generation.
The joint venture represents further expansion of Cummins product line in China, where the Company already is the leading foreign producer of heavy-duty diesel engines. Cummins currently does not compete in the light-duty diesel market in China.
In 2005, the light-duty truck market in China produced 860,000 units and is projected to grow at 8 percent a year for the foreseeable future. Foton, founded in 1996, is the largest producer in the light-duty truck market in China, selling more than 260,000 units in 2005. The joint venture will be the ninth production operation for Cummins in China.
Separately in China, Guangxi Yuchai introduced its new YC4W passenger car, based on its own Euro-3 diesel engine, dveloped with FEV. The company has also developed its own Euro-4 engine.
How can a green site even think about posting an article about any diesel engine,they are and always will be the dirtiest power source going
Posted by: ralph | 08 March 2006 at 05:25 PM
Ralph, have you not heard of ULSD or bio-diesel?
Posted by: James | 09 March 2006 at 03:01 AM
thats the fuel not the toxic emissions that are the result of diesel combustion.
Very soon there will be ULSG,that event like ULSD will lead to different fuel injection processes,but it doesn't make the vehicle any cleaner.
USLD and ULSG should lead to better fuel economy,but not lower emissions.
Sounds like dirty diesel is okay as long as we get better fuel economy
Posted by: ralph | 09 March 2006 at 03:43 AM
Strange how here in europe ULSD burns pretty clean compared to petrol then doesn't it. Especialy if you add blends of bio diesel to it.
Posted by: James | 09 March 2006 at 03:49 AM
True, diesels will put out more smog forming particles (less so with ULSD) but they put out considerably less greenhouse gasses.
Many modern diesels come fitted with particulate filters to reduce to problem of smog.
Posted by: James | 09 March 2006 at 03:57 AM
Ralph -
you should be careful about making such sweeping statements, and look at the individual components in the tailpipe: HC, CO, NOx and of course, PM. Engine-out emissions of HC and CO are low in modern turbodiesels. CO2 is of course substantially lower than for regular gasoline engines, but new technoogies such as spray-guided gasoline direct injection and especially, downsizing + turbocharging are expected to close the gap. Porsche will introduce the first variable geometry turbo for a gasoline engine in series production later this year.
As James points out, the combination of very high fuel pressures (1600-2000 atmospheres) and particulate traps represents a completely adequate solution to the PM issue raised by diesels.
Reducing engine-out NOx means reducing combustion temperature at the expense of power and fuel economy. The classic approach is to use chilled exhaust gas recirculation, up to 10% in trucks, more in cars. Mild EGR rates also reduce PM, aggressive ones less so. Future engines may switch to some variant of HCCI in part load to further reduce average engine-out NOx.
Meanwhile, all new trucks in Europe are now fitted with an SCR system. This injects precise doses 35% pure urea solution (AdBlue) into the exhaust, where a special catalyst converts it into ammonia which then cleans up the NOx quite effectively. However, the system is expensive and requires the operator to periodically refill the AdBlue tank - otherwise, the EOBD is required to sharply curtail the engine's operating envelope to maintain low emissions. A production and distribution infrastructure for AdBlue is being set up.
SCR is also the system expected to be installed in large new passenger cars in Europe when the Euro 5 limits (currently being defined) will be enforced.
For smaller vehicles, the alternative is a modified three-way catalyst that can in effect adsorb a certain volume of NOx. Once it is full, the engine management has to briefly but transparently switch to a slightly rich mixture to purge the catalyst. This aftertreatment technology is very sensitive to sulphur in the fuel (fast becoming a non-issue), less effective than a regular threeway catalyst (70% vs. 99%) and, suffers from a limited lifespan due to the frequent thermal cycling. Adequate solutions for these remaining problems may become available in the next few years.
Ergo: diesels have come a very long way in Europe over the past 15 years. These advances are largely unknown to US consumers.
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | 09 March 2006 at 05:57 AM