The value of demonstration projects

While rapid adoption would be pretty cool, the journey from theory to concept to reality is a long one. New ideas can exist for decades before they evolve into something you can benefit from. There are numerous steps between a technology concept first forming to it being released into the market, and one big step in that process is real-world testing.

What is a project demo?

When you're ready to see if a product is viable in real-world scenarios, you want to conduct a demonstration project or demo. A demo is a small-scale initiative where you test a product in a real-world setting to showcase its feasibility. But don't let the phrase "small-scale initiative" fool you. While small compared to widespread adoption, these initiatives are a critical step to take before full adoption can even be an option.

The main objective of a demo is to gather tangible evidence of the product's viability and evaluate its practicality before broader implementation. Improvements are identified as the product is tested across the chosen application over the selected timeframe and product iteration occurs.

Demonstrating zero-emissions technology

All the zero-emissions technologies within the Accelera™ by Cummins portfolio have either completed demo projects or are currently part of ones. Because our technologies integrate into specific applications – such as class 8 trucks and passenger trains – our demos show how products perform within a broader system.

The learnings and experience we gain from a demo do three things:

Demos enable us to develop the next generation of solutions for that specific zero-emissions product.
They contribute to the overall development of the broader Accelera™ portfolio.
They move the industry needle toward decarbonized transportation.

Resources, experiences and lessons learned from one technology and application demo can be leveraged across different applications. For example, what we learn from a fuel cell heavy-duty truck demonstration can inform our fuel cell work in rail and bus. This allows us to lower the initial investment costs, improve product efficiencies, and shorten lead times for customers' interest in the product.

Accelera demonstration projects seek the following:

Innovation iteration for enhanced products:
Analyzing performance metrics allows for development opportunities, leading to the creation of superior products through continuous iteration.

Market validation and informed decision-making:
Demonstrations provide valuable data, enabling insightful performance analysis and data-driven decision-making, thereby validating technology in real-world environments for increased credibility and confidence.

Collaborative technological advancement:
Industry collaboration in real-world testing refines and improves innovations, fostering accelerated technological progress.

Collaboration is everything for decarbonized power

In the clean energy sector, the majority, if not all, zero-emissions technologies are new and come with high price tags and many unknowns. It's the nature of new technology, but it can seem risky when already-established energy products are more readily available.

Demonstration projects bring together key parties early. For Accelera, that means working closely with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), government agencies, industry partners and other early adopters eager to transition from traditional to decarbonized power.

Each involved party learns from one another and informs how we engineer, build, test, refine, and evolve the technologies and solutions. The benefits from the range of expertise brought in with each demonstration fosters closer working relationships through shared objectives, project investment buy-in and open communication.

Why collaborate with Accelera?

If you're going to accelerate the switch to net-zero and adopt zero-emissions technologies to power your applications, you want a partner who:

Is an innovative leader in the zero-emissions space
Has a proven record of successful OEM and integrator partnerships
Can deliver desirable outcomes
Will still be there to support your business needs in 20, 30 and 50 years

We make demonstration projects valuable for our partners, and we're actively partnering across industries to advance the maturing and adoption of clean energy solutions.

Accelera is backed by over 100 years of industrial manufacturing, established partnerships and service and support experience. We are experienced in managing multi-partner projects and have worked with OEMs, government agencies, school districts and non-profit organizations to navigate regulatory frameworks and support and incentives for research.

We also have the broadest portfolio of zero-emissions products in the market. We've been in the business of power innovation and decarbonization long enough to know there is no single correct answer to zero-emissions power. There's no magic solution and no one technology that will decarbonize every hard-to-abate sector.

Accelera is pursuing every promising path forward to give customers the power of technology choice and give each industry the technologies they need to lower their carbon emissions. Today, that includes batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, e-axles, traction systems, and hydrogen production, including PEM and alkaline electrolyzers.

With demos running in countries across Europe, North America and Asia, we are eager to partner on more projects to show how our portfolio can move the needle to decarbonized power.

Explore Accelera demo projects: