Knight Transportation, Cummins, and Clean Energy Demonstrate Potential of Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel Through Cummins X15N Natural Gas Powertrains in California

PHOENIX, AZ … Phoenix, Arizona-based, Knight Transportation, Inc., part of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (Knight-Swift) and the industry's largest full truckload company, has been successfully testing Cummins’ new X15N natural gas engine in Southern California – realizing NOx and greenhouse gas reductions without compromise to performance.

 The truck is fueled exclusively with Clean Energy ultra-low carbon Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) anchored by Clean Energy’s station in Carson, California.

 “Our customers rely on us to deliver a wide range of loads critical to their businesses,” said Dave Williams, Knight-Swift Transportation’s Senior Vice President of Equipment and Government Relations. “We must ensure we are utilizing the most reliable and efficient technologies possible that help us reduce our carbon footprint,” Williams continued. Knight Swift’s goal is to reduce CO2 emissions generated from the KNX fleet by 50 percent by 2035. “We value our collaboration with Cummins and are encouraged by what we have seen so far with the 15L renewable natural gas technology. We will continue to work together to make sure that the capabilities and economics associated with this technology allow us to meet the wide- ranging needs of our fleet.”

 Coming to market in 2024, the Cummins X15N natural gas engine delivers diesel-like ratings as well as durability and reliability to allow fleets to significantly reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing capability. The X15N offers the industry a solution toward achieving their sustainability goals, including the ability to run on renewable natural gas.

 “Arizonans understand how critical equipment costs are to running a business. Renewable natural gas is something we can utilize now with very measurable benefits to both the environment and the economy. This investment will help Arizona truckers adopt low-cost advanced technology,” said Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, who represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District and serves on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

 “We create negative carbon intensity RNG by trapping methane at its biogenic source, preventing it from escaping to atmosphere, and turning it into transportation grade renewable fuel. This results in Clean Energy’s negative carbon intensity RNG that we supply to Clean Energy stations throughout California,” said Clean Energy Vice President Derek Turbide.

 “Our relationship with the Knight Transportation family goes back more than 30 years with a rich history of partnering through field tests of new technologies and features. The feedback in the development process is invaluable to the products long-term success for our customers. The suite of integrated Cummins technologies used on these trucks from engine, aftertreatment, and fuel storage to transmission, axles and the digital features that pull them all together in their most optimized form demonstrates the value of our next generation of product to our customers,” said José Samperio, Vice President North American On-Highway Business, Cummins Inc.

 The field testing with Knight-Swift will continue through full production of the X15N powertrain in 2024.