Although it is today a manufacturer of various electric products – including e-powertrains, battery packs, and electrolysers – American engine manufacturer Cummins Inc is also concerned about regulation that focuses only on tailpipe emissions rather than a holistic well-to-wheels approach. In a previous conversation with Truck & Bus Builder, Bill Lamb, director of Cummins’ engine business platform strategy, noted that, with the current rate of battery-electric truck adoption, commercial vehicle manufacturers will find it extremely challenging to meet future CO2 emissions reduction targets without the help of two alternatives to pure electric: hybrid and biofuels. We met again at the recent Road Transport Expo, held between 24-26 June at NAEC Stoneleigh, to discuss not only alternatives to electric but also Cummins’ progress towards Euro 7.

Tsien brings more than four decades of experience in the automotive industry, primarily at General Motors, where he served as executive vice president and chief technology officer.

After attending the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in the past two years, we were of the view that the USA may catch up with Europe to become the world’s largest electric vehicle market after China. Following the 2025 edition of the ACT Expo – held between 28 April and 1 May in Anaheim, California – I now have serious doubts about how long it will take for America to overtake Europe, if it happens at all. There was a palpable shift away from electric vehicles in favour of alternatives such as natural gas, propane, and hybrid vehicles. Once the stars of the show, these options faded into the background when California’s zero emission vehicle mandate passed into law. Now, the progressive state has repealed the mandate, after the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2025 withdrew the waiver which allowed California to enforce zero emission quotas on fleets; consequently, the low-emission alternatives to diesel and electric are enjoying a revival of interest from many kinds of customer.

The partners’ new ‘Vehicle Health Intelligence’ application will integrate Cummins’ own ‘Connected Solutions’ service with the Californian tech company’s ‘Virtual Vehicle’ platform.

Acelera powertrains to be used in US-made F-series truck

The ‘MD6’ and ‘MD7’ Class 6-7 trucks will now be offered with a heavier rear axle and the Cummins ‘B6.7’ engine, which has a rating of 325 horsepower.

The B7.2 will enter series production in 2027 at the Rocky Mount Engine Plant in North Carolina.

At the end of January, the European Commission kicked off a series of strategic dialogues with business leaders from the automotive industry to review regulations which set mandatory CO2 emission targets for newly-registered vehicles. In a press release, the ACEA alleged that car and van manufacturers could face fines of up to EUR16bn this year for failing to comply with the regulation. Cummins expects that a similar target for CVs – a 43% reduction starting in 2030 – will not be achieved without a drastic transformation of the market. Echoing the opinion of the ACEA, Lamb told Truck & Bus Builder that “the rollout of infrastructure for both electric and hydrogen vehicles is slower than will be needed to meet the 2030 target”.

In early 2023, a new name was introduced to the commercial vehicle industry: “Accelera by Cummins”. It was the result of eight separate acquisitions made by parent company Cummins Inc over a period of as many years, all of them connected, albeit in different ways, to zero-emission technology. Naturally, Cummins wished to differentiate its new purchases from its ongoing engine business, and it is not the only legacy manufacturer to attempt a rebrand for its electric vehicle products (a la General Motors’ “Brightdrop” and Shyft Group’s “Blue Arc”). But it also aims to weld its acquisitions together into a single, cohesive unit capable of delivering “end-to-end electric solutions”. Molly Hale – who is the marketing communications manager for Accelera – explained: “There was this belief that we needed to have an identity all our own, to go to the market and explain the depth of the commitment and the depth of the investments in these technologies.”

Cummins announced the continuation of a thirty-five-year long partnership with Ram Trucks with the supply of a new diesel engine for the Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 models.

The compact design of the 14Xe has allowed for a shorter wheelbase, something which Thomas Built Buses says was “highly requested” by customers.

Set to be launched in 2027, the system integrates the Cummins B-Series engine with Allison's eGen Flex electric hybrid propulsion technology, meeting the EPA's Phase 3 greenhouse gas emissions standards.