Cummins expedites hydrogen innovation for CA with new West Sac center

Cummins Inc. has reportedly inaugurated its Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powertrain Integration Center in California’s West Sacramento. This indicates the company’s dedication to upscale the green hydrogen economy in the U.S.

The new Cummins site spans 18,000 sq. ft. and is specifically designed for innovation in hydrogen which includes safety features. The facility will also have fuel cell powertrain development and testing along with fuel cell integration, controls, and electrical engineering.

Cummins will be the largest tenant at the facility of California Fuel Cell Partnership, which comprises other alternative power innovators and tech companies. As the new tenant in the California Fuel Cell Partnership infrastructure, Cummins will continue making zero-emissions fleets for customers using its PEM fuel cell technology.

According to Amy Davis, the President of New Power at Cummins, the company’s presence in West Sacramento is crucial for advancing hydrogen technologies while being at the center of the decarbonization conversation in the U.S.

Davis added that California, with the most novel hydrogen infrastructure system in the United States, offers a fine ecosystem for novel alternative power technologies. This facility will help the company in attaining its ultimate goal of accelerating change in transportation and deploying more zero-emissions vehicles on the road.

Cummins is investing in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. At the West Sacramento plant, the company will primarily emphasize on PEM fuel cells which are considered a good alternative for high-power transportation applications like long-haul, heavy-duty trucks. When the hydrogen used to power a fuel cell vehicle is produced using renewable electricity, it results in zero-carbon transportation.

Historically, Cummins has been a crucial player in possessing a wide portfolio of industry-leading battery-electric and renewable hydrogen technologies. To date, Cummins has installed over 2,000 fuel cells, 400 battery electric powertrains, and 600 electrolyzers around the world.

Source credit:

https://www.cummins.com/news/releases/2021/12/01/cummins-accelerates-hydrogen-innovation-california-and-beyond-new-west