Cummins X10 earns early praise in demanding on-road testing

Cummins' new X10 diesel is earning early praise in demanding on-road testing ahead of its scheduled 2027 launch. The 10-liter heavy-duty engine builds on the lineage of the company's L9 and X12 engines, which it is positioned to succeed in many applications, and has completed thousands of hours and more than 2.5 million miles of on-road testing across North America in vocations from transit and regional haul to refuse, pickup and delivery, and mixers.

In a Freightliner 114SD flatbed test truck with an Allison 4K transmission, the X10 was rated at 450 horsepower and 1,650 lb-ft of torque and handled a gross vehicle weight of 55,000 pounds. Drivers quoted by Cummins praised its throttle response and hill-climbing ability on a 25-degree grade.

Cummins says the X10 offers up to a 4 percent fuel economy improvement over the L9 and up to 2 percent over the X12, with oil drain intervals extended from up to 50,000 miles on the L9 to as much as 75,000 miles depending on duty cycle. Cartridge-style lube and fuel filters are designed to reduce maintenance, and the engine uses evolved aftertreatment and EGR technologies to meet 2027 emissions requirements. (summary body)