Cummins, Leclanché Team Up On Lower-Emissions Options For Marine,  Rail Operators

Cummins Inc., a leading engine and power generation manufacturer headquartered in Columbus, Ind., and Switzerland-based power storage specialist Leclanché have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at collaborating to deliver lower-emissions power options for operators in the marine and rail spaces.

The collaboration will allow Cummins and Leclanché to offer customers a broad range of hybrid, battery-only and fuel cell power options. Power sources may include engines, hydrogen fuel cells and battery packs and racks. The partnership is one component of Cummins’ effort to achieve “net zero emissions across its products” by the year 2050, according to the announcement of the MOU. In addition, Cummins has recently rebranded its “new power” segment as “Accelera.”

“Cummins is focused on our Destination Zero strategy to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and combining efforts with Leclanché enables us to provide a broader range of solutions to reach our goals and help our customers accelerate their decarbonization journeys,” said Gbile Adewunmi, executive director of Cummins’ industrial markets in power systems segment. “Leclanché’s portfolio of products tailored for industrial markets aligns well with the Cummins core, bridge and zero carbon technology offerings.”

Leclanché’s latest marine battery offering is the Navius MRS-3 marine rack system, a scalable and modular system that can be customized to a particular vessel design. Each module can supply up to 8,700 kW hours of energy. Leclanché released the Navius MRS-3 in June 2022.

“The agreement offers a unique opportunity for both companies to collaborate, combining our capabilities to offer bespoke solutions to help decarbonize both the global transport and energy sectors,” Leclanché E-Mobility’s co-CEO Phil Broad said.

Pierre Blanc, the company’s other co-CEO, added, “Both companies possess a wealth of expertise in their respective fields and markets, and this, coupled with Cummins’ well-established global presence, will offer customers quality solutions to suit their needs in transitioning toward green energy and transportation.”

Besides working together to market the power packages, Cummins and Leclanché will also partner on installation, training, commissioning, warranty and support for the energy systems.