Operation on the open CNG heart

Soon Shell’s futuristic Starship truck will be back on the record hunt: It is currently receiving the latest CNG engine from Cummins in the US state of North Carolina. At the end of September, the Shell Starship 3.0 with its aerodynamic bodywork is scheduled to set off on its eagerly awaited demonstration run.

Selda Gunsel, president of Shell Global Solutions, announces at the ACT Expo this spring that the Shell Starship truck will be CNG-powered. Source: Shell

With the futuristic Starship truck trimmed for efficiency, the oil and energy company Shell has already shown several times how economical a truck with diesel technology can be. A carbon-fibre cabin designed for the lowest possible air resistance, including automatic sealing for a seamless transition between truck and trailer, or a 5,000-watt solar system on the roof of the trailer were just a few of the features that enabled the Shell Starship 2.0 to achieve extremely low consumption values. With a payload of around 21.5 tonnes, the 400 hp Cummins diesel engine shone with a consumption of only around 23.5 l/100 km on overland journeys.

Specialty vehicle company Spevco and Reaper Custom Fabrication are currently rebuilding or upgrading the Shell Starship 3.0. Source: Shell/Cummins

Selda Gunsel, president of Shell Global Solutions, revealed at the ACT Expo in spring that the latest generation Shell Starship will be equipped with Cummins’ new X15N gas engine and will be virtually CO₂ neutral on the road thanks to Shell’s Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). “Shell RNG is already available today and has a low carbon intensity,” added Gunsel. Engine specialist Cummins is also looking forward to using the X15N large-piston CNG engine in the truck of the future. And it is currently the turn of special vehicle company Spevco and Reaper Custom Fabrication to transplant the CNG unit – open-heart surgery on the futuristic truck.

The new CNG powertrain from engine specialist Cummins. Source: Cummins

Puneet Jhawar, General Manager Global Spark Ignited Business at Cummins, takes a closer look at the conversion in the North Carolina workshop. The Starship 3.0 is almost completely reconfigured from the Starship 2.0 for its next demo run, for which the tractor was almost completely disassembled. Armed with plans and with the help of the experienced engineering teams from Shell and Cummins, even Matt Greene, owner of Reaper Custom Fabrication, lends a hand himself with the welding to get the big puzzle finished and on the road in time: “We had to make many components of the truck ourselves, even the exhaust system of the CNG unit was custom-made.”

The Shell Starship 3.0 cabin, also optimized for best aerodynamics, is waiting to be installed. Source: Shell/Cummins

The fairing of the “trailer gap” is also completely redesigned. The top now acts as a cap that locks both sides when fully deployed, providing ideal aerodynamics. And Cummins’ red X15N CNG engine, which weighs less than its diesel counterparts, delivers up to 500 hp and already meets stringent EPA and CARB emissions regulations for 2024 and 2027, is now tucked under the Starship 3.0’s sleek carbon fibre nose.

The notice on the X15N door and the Cummins logo make it clear which future-oriented drive system the truck will be using on its demonstration run. Source: Shell/Cummins

Thanks to its CNG tanks, which hold about 340 kg of biogas, the equivalent of about 120 US gallons of diesel, the truck should make it about 600 miles before stopping again at a CNG station for about fifteen minutes to refuel. “The improved supply of renewable CNG and the greater availability of public CNG refuelling stations is helping long-haul fleets realise the environmental, economic and operational benefits of this technology,” explains Cummins expert Puneet Jhawar, who is seeing growing interest in the new biogas powertrain from Cummins fleet partners just before the launch of the X15N.

Puneet Jhawar, General Manager Global Spark Ignited Business at Cummins, with U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko of Arizona: Source: Puneet Jhawar/Cummins.

“I also recently had the honour of speaking with Congressmen Don Davis of North Carolina and Debbie Lesko of Arizona about the benefits of biogas,” he adds, “and our unique X15N large-piston engine that will revolutionise the transportation industry and accelerate Cummins’ decarbonisation promise.” Just how revolutionary this revolution will turn out to be is likely to be shown by the fuel economy results of the Shell Starship 3.0 on the cross-country drive expected in October for the “Shell Ultimate Stopover 2023”. Then it will become clear how far the efficiency limits can be pushed thanks to today’s CNG technologies, even in heavy-duty transport, and how CO₂ emissions can be massively reduced. (jas, 16 September 2023)

Soon no longer a computer drawing, but reality the Shell Starship Truck with the CNG drive from Cummins. Source: Shell