Page 5 - DRVC Travelore Winter 2019

DRVC Travelore - Page 5
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lar leaving the over-the-road market, Cummins was able to capitalize on the opportunity and is now the leading manufacturer of diesel engines for motorhomes. At pres- ent, the company holds the largest share of the diesel RV market with its X15, X12, L9 and B6.7 model engines on Freightliner, Spartan and some Tiffin-built chassis. The company also initiated a program called Cummins Coach Care that covers service on both chassis and major sys- tems in those units.
“Our X series engines are the ones that have seen the most work in terms of improving fuel economy and reducing emissions as low as possible,” says Communications Direc- tor Anderson. “We have a platform that either combines with smart transmission technology or integration through the full power train, so the engine combined with the transmission combined with the full drive train makes the unit as efficient as possible.” The benefit includes more speed and miles-per-gallon on grades while delivering up to 50 percent more torque on hills.
The Onan Story
While the choice of chassis and engine is a decision each new RV buyer must make, whether buying in at the entry- level or the high end, one that’s probably been made for the motorhome owner is the presence of an onboard gen- erator. Here, again, the overwhelming market leader is the Cummins’ Onan brand of generators.
Onan, a Minneapolis-based company, was founded in 1920. That’s one year after Cummins Engine began. Cum- mins acquired a majority share of Onan in 1986 and later purchased the entire company. Today, it’s part of Cum- mins’ Power Systems business segment.
According to Garry Enyart, Onan’s director of mobile gen- erator sales (and RVIA chairman), Cummins bought Onan because the majority of its product was around 300-kw or below. They were doing some assembly of their own gen- erator sets and it made perfect sense for them to acquire Onan and use the brand and engineering expertise to fur- ther their work in the generator segment of the business.”
Power generation has always been the focus of Cummins whether for motive power or other applications. Today, Cummins Onan manufactures generators from 2,500 watts up to 95-liter engines, which are as large as a semi- trailer and provide emergency power for hospitals and data centers.
As large as it is, the RV and mobile market are but five to seven percent of the overall Power Systems division even though their RV and mobile generators are distributed worldwide.
Enyart explains that every Class A motorhome – whether gas or diesel – gets a generator built-in at the factory, as do almost all Class C units, particularly those built on Ford E Series chassis. Additionally, many Class B units and most sport utility trailers also come with a generator.
“Air-conditioning – whether the unit is in transit or sta- tionary – was the primary impetus for generators when
we started selling fixed-mounted units to Winnebago and the like,” he said. “People love the comforts of home – even when they’re camping, and a generator remains the best option to run all those appliances.” Cummins Onan builds generators that can run not only on diesel fuel but also gasoline and propane.
“One of the reasons we’re a preferred supplier to many of the OEMs is because we provide everything necessary to install the generator at the OEM,” Enyart said. “We include the generator, any ancillary control panels, wiring har- nesses, exhaust components and anything else necessary for each model.”
Cummins and the Future
Cummins has worked hard to improve the emissions output on all it’s engines and follows EPA (Environmen- tal Protection Agency) and other standards globally. The company is addressing the carbon footprint issue very seriously, making sure that the company is sustainable and that the products do what they say they’ll do.
So, what does the future hold for Cummins in the RV market? Cummins is heavily invested in the success of electric engines, as witnessed by its AEOS demonstration truck introduced in 2017. Though electric is attractive for route-oriented trucks that return to a terminal each day for recharging, it isn’t a good fit for the RVer.
Cummins believes diesel engines will remain the central powertrain for many markets over the decades ahead but will not remain idle. The company is researching advanced diesel technologies to further enhance turbocharger effi- ciencies and reduce emissions across the engine system. The concept is to package new air handling and after-
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