Last March, Cummins announced the approval of biodiesel B20 blends for use in its 2002 and later emissions-compliant ISX, ISM, ISL, ISC and ISB engines. This includes the recently released 2007 products.

Cummins is able to upgrade its previous position on the use of biodiesel fuel, which limited the use to B5 blends only, up to B20 for three key reasons. First, the American Society of Testing Materials specification ASTM D6751 now includes an important stability specification for biodiesel. Second, the availability of quality fuels from BQ-9000 Certified Marketers and Accredited Producers is growing rapidly; and third, Cummins has completed the necessary testing and evaluations to ensure that customers can reliably operate their equipment with confidence using B20 fuel.

"We have completed exhaustive analysis and test evaluations which enable Cummins to provide the necessary guidance and information to our customers for the 'proper and successful use of this fuel in our engine," said Edward Lyford-Pike, Chief Engineer-Advanced Alternative Fuel Programs. "This will enable our customers to have a choice that includes renewable fuel."

The popularity and use of biodiesel fuel continues to climb. Recent studies predict that, by 2008, 1.2 billion gallons of B100 biodiesel will be produced in the United States. Cummins will continue its efforts to ensure that future products will be compatible with biodiesel fuels, and will continue to participate in industry efforts aimed at the development of consistent quality throughout the biodiesel industry.

Further information about the use of biodiesel for both on-highway and off-highway Cummins products can be found at www.everytime.cummins.com.

Global Diesel Market Share to Grow

Twenty-six percent of vehicles sold on a global basis are expected to run on diesel powertrains, according to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan. The findings suggest that vehicle manufacturers are focusing more on developing advanced engine technologies to control emissions, improve fuel economy and enhance vehicle performance.

Diesel engines will establish a strong presence in Europe and India, with their market share in India set to grow from 29% in 2005 to 50% by 2015.

Turbocharged engines will appear in a large number of diesel vehicles globally, with penetration rates expected to reach 10% to 15% by 2015 in North America alone.

Ultra-low sulfur diesel has paved the way for more diesel options in the United States on both the car and heavy-duty pickup and SUV front in the years to come.

 Gold-Based Catalyst For Diesels

The use of gold as a catalyst in diesel emissions systems can reduce smog-forming emissions by up to 40%, according to one company that is using this for its new diesel emissions-reduction product. Nanostellar Inc., a manufacturer of nano-engineered catalyst materials, recently unveiled its Nanostellar's NS Gold catalyst, which enables manufacturers of light- and heavy-duty diesel engines, as well as manufacturers of catalytic converters for diesels, to reduce noxious emissions by as much as 40% more than existing pure-platinum catalysts at equal cost.

When compared to emerging platinum-palladium catalysts, NS Gold promises to increase hydrocarbon oxidation activity by 15% to 20% at equal precious-metal cost. A tri-metal formulation of gold, platinum and palladium, NS Gold allows the proportions of each metal to be adjusted to help catalyst systems engineers meet engine-specific performance targets and stabilize the overall cost of diesel catalyst, despite fluctuations in the price of precious metals.

"Not only does NS Gold break performance barriers imposed by mixed platinum and palladium catalysts, but also its performance can be more easily tuned to the characteristics of a variety of diesel engines," said Pankaj Dhingra, CEO of Nanostellar.