Cummins Inc. played host at its Columbus, Ind., headquarters as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson formally kicked off the nationwide switch to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel,
which takes effect this Sunday, Oct. 15.
ULSD, which contains 97 percent less sulfur than previous diesel blends, is a critical component of efforts by Cummins and other diesel engine makers to meet stringent new EPA emissions regulations that go into effect Jan. 1, 2007.
Cummins Engine Business President Jim Kelly and Chief Technical Officer Dr. John Wall led Johnson on a tour of Cummins test facilities where the group received a firsthand look at work being done to prepare Cummins to meet the 2007 emissions standards.
“America’s pumps are primed to deliver on President Bush’s goal of clean diesel and cleaner air,” said Johnson. “Over the last century, diesels have been our nation’s economic workhorse – reliable, fuel-efficient and long-lasting. Today, through the President’s investment in clean fuel technology, America’s economic workhorse also is becoming America’s environmental workhorse.”
ULSD, when used in combination with emission-reduction technology being developed by engine makers, will result in on-highway diesel engines that produce 90 percent less particulate matter than today’s engines and will greatly reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), making these engines among the cleanest on the road. ULSD also works with any diesel engine and is expected to result in a 10-percent emissions reduction in older diesel-powered vehicles.
Lower sulfur levels in the fuel are crucial to achieving reduced emissions, because sulfur hinders exhaust-control devices in diesel engines, much like leaded gasoline once did in gas-powered vehicles. As a result of the new EPA regulations, it would take approximately 60 2007-compliant diesel-powered trucks to emit the amount of soot produced by a single truck made in 1988.
Cummins 2007 product line will feature the company’s proven cooled-Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) technology with the addition of an exhaust aftertreatment system.