In July, American powertrain manufacturer, Cummins Inc, opened a new test facility at its engine plant in Darlington in the northeast of England, with the attendance of T&BB and other members of the trade press. The company has carried out engine testing at Darlington for many years, but the new facility represents a definitive change in approach to product development and evaluation. While the older test cells are solely designed to assess engines, the new facility can accommodate an entire truck or bus for whole vehicle testing. Moreover, the building which houses the new facility is specifically made to safely test gas and hydrogen combustion vehicles.

Though the powertrain comes from SuperPanther, Steyr Automotive says the eTopas truck was “co-created” by the two companies for the European market.

This is the key take away from conversations at the IAA Transportation and following a round table discussion with Prof. Dr. Peter Laier, Member of the Board of ZF Group.

The plant is managed by the company’s local subsidiary, Yuchai Power System (Thailand) Company Ltd, based in Samut Prakan just outside Bangkok.