FRIDLEY (Minnesota, USA): In just a few weeks, global power technology leader Cummins Inc will begin production of an electrolyser - which help produce clean hydrogen that is essential for reducing emissions, according to the group's president and CEO Jennifer Rumsey.
"Support from the Biden administration and Congress with legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are driving the clean energy economy forward in the United States and critical to our decarbonization efforts,” she said in a statement, in conjunction with the recent visit by President Joe Biden to the group's Fridley, Minnesota plant.
“The electrolyser production in Minnesota and investment in our Indiana, North Carolina and New York facilities are reflective of our dual path approach of advancing both engine-based and zero-emission solutions," said Rumsey.
Over half of all medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the road in the United States today use Cummins engines.
In addition to recent investments in Fridley, the company is investing more than US$1 billion across its US engine manufacturing network in Indiana, North Carolina and New York.
The investment will provide upgrades to those facilities to support the industry’s first fuel agnostic engine platforms that will run on low carbon fuels, including natural gas, diesel and eventually hydrogen, helping decarbonize the nation’s truck fleets today.
“Since I took office, companies have announced over US$2 billion in major manufacturing investments in Minnesota alone,” said President Joe Biden. “All these investments mean that now if you grow up in Minnesota, or you go to school in Minnesota, you can stay in Minnesota.”
In October 2022, just two months after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, Cummins announced it will begin manufacturing electrolysers in the United States for the first time at its Fridley location.
Since that announcement, Cummins launched Accelera by Cummins, its zero-emission technology brand.
At the Fridley facility, 89,000 sq ft will be dedicated to Accelera electrolyser manufacturing.
Hydrogen produced by electrolysers can power hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and is used in industrial processes like steel production.
Building electrolysers in Fridley is helping to bring the supply chain for zero-emissions vehicles to the United States – particularly in heavy trucking industries - and employing hundreds of workers in the area with good-paying jobs.
“As a result of this legislation, we saw demand for United States-made electrolysers skyrocket,” said Tony Satterthwaite, senior vice president, Cummins Inc.
“And what you see here today is our ability to capitalize on that demand and create 100 new jobs at Fridley with many more at our supply base, as well as upskill part of our existing workforce.”
Meanwhile, Cummins’ plans include investing US$452 million in its Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) to upgrade its 998,000 sq ft facility in Western New York to produce the industry’s first fuel-agnostic internal combustion engine platform that leverages a range of lower carbon fuel types.
The X15N is part of the new fuel-agnostic 15-litre engine platform produced at JEP.
Cummins customers, including Walmart, Werner, Matheson, and National Ready Mix, among others, are beginning to test the very first engines of the fuel agnostic platform, the X15N.
Walmart will receive the very first field test unit later in April to take part in the field test of this industry-first, 15-litre advanced engine platform running on renewable natural gas.
In March 2023, Accelera by Cummins had annouced it would supply a 90-megawatt proton exchange membrane electrolyser system for Varennes Carbon Recycling’s plant in Quebec, Canada.
The project, which will be the largest electrolyser project Cummins has announced to date and a key step in advancing North America’s green hydrogen-based economy, will help turn non-recyclable waste into bio fuels and circular chemicals.
Also, Accelera and Blue Bird aim to power a new fleet of 1,000 electric school buses across the United States over the next 12-18 months.
Production of the electric school buses will be significantly accelerated, more than doubling the zero-emissions school buses that the pair have put into operation since the start of production.
With 1,000 new electric school buses on the road, 10,600 metric tons of harmful carbon emissions would be prevented annually.
Recent zero-emissions highlights that Accelera will continue to build on include:
- Completing the acquisition of Meritor, Inc., and Siemens Commercial Vehicle business to advance electric powertrain solutions
- Increasing global electrolyser manufacturing capacity with gigawatt-scalable plants in Fridley, Minnesota – its first in the United States – and in Spain (now under construction)
- Powering the world’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer in operation in the world in Bécancour, Canada
- Powering the world’s first hydrogen refuelling station for ships, cars, trucks and industrial customers in Antwerp, Belgium
- Powering the world’s first megawatt-scale demonstration plant for storing wind energy in the natural gas grid in Windgas Falkenhagen, Germany
- Powering the world’s first fleets of hydrogen fuel cell passenger trains in Germany
- Deploying four hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered class 8 heavy-duty trucks with several marquis fleet customers in the United States
- Powering 52 fuel cell city buses in Lingang, Shanghai
- Powering refuse trucks with FAUN across Europe
