On March 26, 2026, the Foton Cummins 3.26 Technology Day and the million-kilometer no-Overhaul Disassembly Event for Natural Gas Engines, themed Technology Wins the Future, One Million Heroes, was successfully held in Beijing. This event comprehensively showcased Foton Cummins' technological research and development accumulation, full-process intelligent manufacturing strength, and prevention-level quality management capabilities in the field of natural gas power, as well as the level of power coordination with Foton Auman vehicles. It presented the technical standards and quality core of natural gas power in the era of National VI to the industry and users.
Anchor the track and deepen the layout
The whole vehicle collaborates to create value in all scenarios
This event marks the fourth public disassembly of long-range engines by Foton Cummins and the second disassembly of heavy-duty engines. At the event site, Chen Jian, the general manager of Foton Cummins, stated: "With the depth of technology, manufacturing precision, quality strength and service warmth, we are confident in showcasing this million-kilometer engine."
He expounded on the work that Foton Cummins has done in the field of natural gas engines from four aspects:
The first is the pre-research and development design. The team took reliability and durability as the core indicators from the very beginning of the research and development. In light of the high-temperature characteristics of gas engines, they carried out exclusive designs in terms of structure and materials, supplemented by a large number of bench tests and extreme road condition verifications, to solidify the reliable genes from the source.
The second is manufacturing precision. The factory has introduced a large number of high-precision robots and error-proofing mechanisms to eliminate assembly errors caused by human operation through automation.
The third is the quality system. Foton Cummins collaborates with its suppliers to build a "zero-defect" ecosystem, ensuring that every part complies with globally unified standards.
The fourth is warm service. During the operation of the engine, the back-end digital system can conduct early diagnosis. When the data is abnormal or the vehicle requires regular maintenance, the system will remind the user in advance to adjust their usage habits and maintenance strategies.
Under the industry background of the continuous advancement of the dual carbon strategy and the full implementation of the National VI b emission regulations, natural gas power has become a key choice for transportation users to reduce costs and increase efficiency. As deeply collaborative partners in the commercial vehicle industry, Foton Cummins and Foton Auman Heavy Truck have always adhered to the forward development of integrated vehicle power.
Chen Peng, vice president of R&D at the Foton Auman Division of BAIC, introduced that the two sides have achieved deep integration from the stage of defining the vehicle's boundary, connected the underlying logic of the vehicle's power chain, jointly completed the decomposition of product indicators and the calibration of power performance, and after three high experiments and tests, achieved the optimal release of product performance through customized development, which can be adapted to various transportation conditions across the country The Foton Auman vehicle has defined 256 working conditions and over 100 application scenarios, among which is the high-dust and frequently start-stop coal transportation route where the vehicle to be dismantled this time is located. At present, the models of Foton Auman equipped with Foton Cummins natural gas engines have achieved full displacement coverage from 12L to 16L, and have been widely recognized by users especially in scenarios such as heavy-load coal transportation.
One million kilometers of empirical evidence has been implemented
Realize operational value centered on users
The 1.07 million-kilometer gas engine that has not undergone major repairs, which was dismantled this time, comes from the beloved vehicle of Hao Fengfeng, a coal transportation user in Yangquan, Shanxi Province. He shared his operational experience of the coal transportation route between Inner Mongolia and Hebei, stating directly that the reliability and stability of this Foton Cummins gas engine were outstanding.
Regarding how to achieve no major repairs for 1.07 million kilometers, Hao Fengfeng shared his experience: strictly follow the original factory's scientific maintenance suggestions. Due to the extremely high dust level along the coal transportation route, he insists on maintaining the air filter every two to three thousand kilometers, replacing the new filter element every five thousand kilometers, and regularly changing the oil every 50,000 kilometers.
Huang Jingjing, the director of Customer support at Foton Cummins, presented Hao Fengfeng with the Foton Cummins Million Heroes Meritorious Customer medal and officially invited him to join the Foton Cummins Million Heroes Club. Huang Jingjing introduced that the club provides exclusive rights and full-cycle service support for long-term operation users. At the same time, it builds a platform for user experience exchange and value sharing, continuously improves the user service system, and practices the brand concept of Core Value, Joyful Life.
Forward research and development as the foundation
Technological iteration drives the continuous upgrading of products
The two most crucial indicators for commercial vehicle engines are mass and fuel consumption. Dr. Duan Jie, the Director of Product Engineering at Foton Cummins, stated that relying on Cummins' global technological accumulation in gas engines, Foton Cummins has achieved a dual breakthrough in gas consumption and reliability through multi-dimensional technological upgrades such as combustion system optimization, intake and exhaust efficiency improvement, and friction loss control. At the same time, through the control of engine cleanliness, the oil change cycle has been significantly extended, effectively reducing the maintenance costs for users.
At the disassembly site, Hu, the chief engineer of the gas engine product, introduced that after the disassembly of this 1.07 million-kilometer National V engine, the core components such as the cylinder head, cylinder barrel, and piston were in good condition, with excellent overall sealing. The joint surface between the cylinder block and the cylinder head was flat and undamaged, and no high-temperature deformation or cylinder liner sinking was observed. There was no leakage in the water or oil circuits, and the honing marks on the inner wall of the cylinder barrel from the factory were still clear, proving that the lubrication condition was good. The tension of the piston rings is normal and there is no obvious carbon deposit on the surface.
The valves and valve train, which are most vulnerable to high-temperature damage, also performed well: the wear of the intake and exhaust valve seat rings was minimal. The camshaft and rocker arm are clean and transparent, with no oil sludge or decarburization visible. Precise measurement data show that the core components remain healthy and, after simple maintenance, still have the potential to continue high-intensity service. Industry expert Niu Hanhua also pointed out that achieving 1.07 million kilometers without major repairs under coal transportation conditions is much more difficult than in ordinary scenarios. The disassembly result of this engine fully demonstrates the consistency and durability of Foton Cummins products.
During the National VI stage, Foton Cummins gas engines have completed a comprehensive upgrade from combustion technology routes to power performance. They will implement the valve adjustment technology and the hybrid gas engine solution integrating electric drive, creating full life cycle value for users. At the same time, 14L gas engines customized for coal transportation scenarios and 16L high-horsepower gas engines covering all scenarios were launched to continuously enhance the user experience.
Intelligent manufacturing as the foundation
Full-process quality control safeguards the bottom line of product quality
If R&D and design determine the upper limit of product performance, then intelligent manufacturing and full-process quality management are the core guarantees for the long-term reliable operation of the product. How can we ensure that every engine leaving the factory has the same reliable quality? Zheng Qinkuo, the factory director of Foton Cummins, gave the answer: consistency. Factory Director Zheng shared that Foton Cummins ensures the quality consistency of each engine through full-process control of three core links: key component processing, intelligent assembly, and 100% factory testing.
In the precision processing stage, core components such as cylinder blocks and cylinder heads are all completed in dark factories. Zheng Qinkuo emphasized that precision is highly dependent on environmental control: "For every degree change in temperature, the deformation of the machine tool will produce micron-level errors; When the humidity exceeds 75%, the dehumidification and anti-rust mechanisms will be activated. Advanced equipment, in combination with strict environmental control, ensures that the processing accuracy of each piece of metal is exactly the same.
In the intelligent assembly process, all bolt tightening is carried out using robotic arm electric guns, precisely controlling the Angle and torque, and relying on a global manufacturing system to achieve full-process traceability. The off-line test of natural gas engines is particularly strict. Due to the fact that gas leakage is not visible to the naked eye, the test bench is equipped with a triple extremely low concentration detection mechanism. Each engine must complete the ignition and operation test by simulating the vehicle's working conditions. Only after passing the test can it be delivered. Meanwhile, the dedicated intelligent production line for Foton Cummins' natural gas engines applies unmanned forklifts, robots, 3D vision systems, and intelligent inspection robot dogs to build a full-process intelligent manufacturing system. This is precisely the intelligent manufacturing foundation for Foton Cummins' gas engines to achieve a million-kilometer mileage without major repairs.
In the future, Foton Cummins will continue to focus on the natural gas power sector. Relying on its global technological resources and localized R&D capabilities, it will constantly promote technological innovation and product iteration. It will join hands with partners such as Foton Auman Heavy Trucks to accompany users on their journey to the next one million kilometers, create higher operational value, and contribute to the low-carbon transformation and high-quality development of China's commercial vehicle industry.