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Cummins X15 Pt 1: An Overview
COLUMBUS, IN -- As engine platforms go, Cummins' ISX has to be considered slightly remarkable. It was introduced in 1998, although the program that brought the engine to life began in 1994. It survived the transition to EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and then to SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) aftertreatment. Several other engines did not. And it's still very much alive and kicking today. We spent a day test driving a couple of production-intent versions of the 2017 X15 (as it's now known), and a current ISX15 for comparison.
Twin Stick to mDRIVE
During a visit to the Mack Customer Center and Museum, I had a chance to compress almost 60 years of transmission history into a single day. If you think we have a driver shortage today, thank your lucky stars we aren't trying to coax new drivers into the industry with twin stick gearboxes!
Peterbilt’s ‘Cruise Control of the Future’
DALLAS, TX -- Peterbilt showed off its take on autonomous vehicle technologies to reporters Friday during a Technology Showcase at the Texas Motor Speedway. Bill Kahn, manager of advanced concepts at Peterbilt, doesn't really like to call the two demonstration vehicles "autonomous," although they would qualify as a Level 3 autonomous vehicle under U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classifications. He characterizes the technology more as the "cruise control of the future" and a "stepping stone to autonomous vehicles." Peterbilt engineers have dubbed it "advanced driver assist systems." A bumper-mounted radar system, on one of the trucks, and a lidar camera on the other, are used to determine the distance from the truck to the vehicle or obstacle ahead of it. The lidar has the added advantage of not only being able to determine an obstacle ahead, but also a wider field of "view" and the ability to provide some data on the size and shape of whatever's there.
