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Lessons learned from multiple partners in autonomous powertrain integration 

Cummins executive: ‘We just want them to plug in what works best for them’

Mark Solomon
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Cummins executive on building flexible powertrain solutions for AV makers.

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ second Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Summit, which took place Wednesday.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: How Cummins is working to build a customized portfolio of powertrain solutions for AV manufacturers. 

DETAILS: A discussion on how Cummins is creating plug-and-play powertrain solutions so AV manufacturers can focus on their core business.

SPEAKER: J. Michael Taylor, general manager-global powertrain integration at Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI).


BIO: With nearly 33 years at Cummins, Taylor today directs global powertrain strategy for commercial and partnership programs. He oversees technical integration on a worldwide scale for engines, transmissions, drivetrains and advanced driver systems.

KEY QUOTES FROM TAYLOR: 

On Cummins’ $3.7 billion cash acquisition of Meritor, which closed last month: “It gives us more opportunity to think about the entire powertrain.”

“By focusing on powertrain integration, our goal is to make it easy for the AV companies to focus on what they’re good at.”


“We think we’ve developed a fantastic interface [regardless of the energy source].”

Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.