21st Century Business Herald reporter Zheng Zhiwen reports from Shanghai
During the "3.15" period, an article titled "Report Letter on Emission Fraud of Heavy Trucks Assembled with Chinese Cummins Natural Gas Engines" circulated online. The author claimed to be an engineer from Wuhan Cummins East Asia R&D Center, stating that one of Cummins engines was designed using emission fraud technology.
After a 21st Century Business Herald reporter verified with the official Cummins, a Cummins insider told the reporter that the reported content was untrue, and the informant "found no such person" within the company. In addition, the insider stated that the environmental protection department has intervened in the investigation and will release the results of the investigation.
The report letter circulating online mentioned that the 15 liter gas engine sold by Cummins in China had an original design defect with high air leakage, which caused the oil pan to explode under high pressure. For this purpose, Cummins designed a concealed PRV pressure relief valve and replaced one of the engine oil filler caps to relieve crankcase pressure and solve the problem of engine oil pan explosion. After adding a pressure relief valve, the actual vehicle equipped with this Cummins engine does not match the vehicle's environmental information disclosure form, and the crankcase control system has changed from the declared closed type to the actual open type. "The opening pressure of the pressure relief valve is only 0.034 bar, which can be opened immediately when a person blows air. This way, the gas pollutants in the engine crankcase can also be easily discharged directly into the atmosphere through the pressure relief valve."
According to the "Emission Limits and Measurement Methods for Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles (China Phase VI) GB17691-2018" jointly issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation and implemented in 2019, no gas inside the closed crankcase is allowed to be discharged into the atmosphere. The document also stipulates that the use of ineffective strategies to reduce the effectiveness of emission control devices is prohibited, and all tampering with pollution control devices is considered emission non-compliance.
Regarding the accusation mentioned in the report letter that the physical condition of the entire engine does not match the environmental information disclosure form, an insider at Cummins told 21st Century Business Herald that this is a serious and false accusation that misleads the public.
The person stated that the pressure relief valve is actually a protective device. "Under normal usage conditions, especially under the testing conditions specified by regulations, the crankcase pressure of the whole vehicle and engine is in a negative pressure state. Under negative pressure state, the pressure relief valve is in a closed state for a long time, and there is no risk of directly discharging pollutants into the atmosphere. Only in extremely extreme usage environments and when a series of protective devices fail, there is a risk of starting."
At the same time, he also stated that the pressure relief valve is an optional component, not a discharge component as a safety device, and is not within the scope of declaration and certification.
The report letter states that Cummins not only installed the pressure relief valve on all newly produced engines, but also issued an internal "Notice on 15N Gas and Packaging Upgrade" and "15N Gas and Rectification Operation Documents" to all vehicles produced before September 15, 2023. The report letter states that more than 25000 units have been modified. According to a survey report by China News Service, car owners who purchase related vehicle products have indeed received 14 free upgrade notifications from service stations, including the installation of pressure relief valves. Some car owners have completed the upgrade.
According to data, Cummins was fined $1.675 billion by the US Department of Justice at the end of last year. The US Department of Justice stated that Cummins used "failure devices" on 630000 RAM pickup truck engines between 2013 and 2019, and used undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices on 330000 RAM truck engines from 2019 to 2023 to bypass emission control requirements, resulting in thousands of tons of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions and violating the US Clean Air Act.
However, the 15L natural gas engine mentioned in the online report letter is not the same as the product in question that was punished by the US Department of Justice. Due to different emission regulations and testing requirements between the two countries, the products produced and sold are also completely different.
21st Century Business Herald will continue to pay attention to the issues raised in the report letter.