Engine manufacturer Cummins opens hydrogen fuel cell innovation center in West Sac

Cummins Inc. has taken 18,000 square feet of space in the California Fuel Cell Partnership building in West Sacramento to develop commercial applications for hydrogen fuel cells for busses and medium-duty and heavy trucks.

Cummins (NYSE: CMI), based in Columbus, Indiana, chose to open its hydrogen fuel cell center in West Sacramento to be close to the region's talent and innovation around zero-carbon technology, said Amy Davis, a Cummins vice president and president of its New Power Business, the company’s fifth and newest business segment.

“These are very unique skill sets,” Davis told the Business Journal.

She said Cummins sought the location for its access to people with a passion for the technology and with an innovation mindset.

Between a 10,000-square-foot location in Dixon and the new location in West Sacramento, Cummins has 80 employees working in the region, and it plans to hire more next year, Davis said. Cummins has an option for more space in West Sacramento should it need it.

“We think a lot of the innovation in the zero-carbon space is here,” Davis said, adding that a lot of the early adapters of the technology are also in California.

The California Fuel Cell Partnership was also attractive because it has a hydrogen fueling station on site, she said.

Cummins has been a longtime member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, an industry advocacy group founded in 1999.

Cummins, which was founded in 1919, makes truck and train engines, power plants, turbines and other heavy equipment for all kinds of other manufacturers.

The alternative power innovation center will work on developing, testing and perfecting hydrogen fuel cells to power big trucks and busses, which need further range and faster refueling than battery-powered engines allow.

Some of the innovations the center will work on include developing the best fit of fuel cells and battery for specific applications. The center will also develop and test power management to make the vehicles work optimally without being too large or heavy, Davis said.

“There is a lot of nuance to keep the fuel cell working optimally and keeping the battery weight down,” she said.

In fuel cell cars, the fuel cell powers a battery, which moves the car. In heavy equipment, the fuel cell powers the battery, and, in some cases, the fuel cell also powers the vehicle directly, such as in the case of a heavy truck climbing a steep grade. That kind of system management requires sophisticated software, which Cummins is also developing and testing.

The West Sacramento location will also work on converting customer trucks to fuel cell systems, it will provide and install fuel cell systems for original equipment manufacturers and it may make its own vehicles at the center, Davis said. The center also has a testing center for engines and powertrains.

Cummins employs nearly 58,000 people, and it had 2020 revenue of $19.8 billion.