Accelera by Cummins, the engine maker’s zero-emissions business segment, arrived at ACT Expo with new products to discuss, including a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery for electric vehicles.
Brian Wilson, general manager of e-mobility at Accelera by Cummins, noted the new battery packs were designed for flexible packaging and ease of integration. They boast higher energy density and extended range compared to previous LFP batteries. And they’re expected to last more than 4,000 charging cycles.
“These LFP batteries are really set to transform the commercial vehicle industry in North America,” Wilson said, adding they’ll be ideal for both medium- and heavy-duty applications.
“Just imagine that you own a fleet of trucks of various shapes and sizes, delivering things all over the city. It’s important you have a scalable and modular platform that can work across all those trucks.”
The batteries will be produced by Accelera by Cummins joint-venture with Daimler Truck and Paccar, with production slated to begin in 2027 at a plant in Mississippi. These are also the batteries that will power next-generation EVs from Peterbilt and Kenworth.
In addition to the batteries themselves, Accelera announced a medium-duty powertrain that combines those batteries with a 14Xe e-axle and a powers and controls accessory system. The complete powertrain will initially go into Isuzu medium-duty trucks.
“We’re going to use this powertrain in Isuzu’s F-Series medium-duty truck here in North America,” Wilson said. “This is a really innovative solution because it has all three of our newest technologies all integrated and optimized into one truck.”
Accelera also announced at the show new capabilities, including over-the-air software updates, which will initially be rolled out to the school bus segment, then commercial trucks.
And it also announced a recent ISO certification allowing it to provide vehicle-to-grid charging. Fleet owners will be able to return unused energy from their vehicles to the electrical grid, generating revenue when the trucks aren’t in service. This, too, will initially be deployed in the bus segment but has commercial truck applicability.
