Bill Lamb: Man in motion with the energy transition

As the director responsible for the worldwide strategy and planning of every new or improved Cummins engine between 3 and 15 litres into markets at varying stages of maturity and environmental governance, the pressure is on Bill Lamb to navigate smoothly through uncertain waters.

Bearing in mind it takes Cummins roughly five years to develop a new engine from scratch – roughly an election cycle – Bill finds himself taking as much interest in politics as engineering, trying to keep abreast of shifts that could have major implications for the design and performance requirements of his products.

Ann-Kristin de Verdier, Executive Managing Director of Distribution Europe, described the acquisition as a significant milestone for the company, adding: “It underlines our commitment to providing superior services and innovation in the European market through one Cummins organisation.”

Cummins Magazine caught up with Bill at his home in the north of England to tell us about his important work and specifically the approach to the upcoming Euro 7 emission regulations and the key technologies at play.

Bill, how do you explain what it is you do?

My job is to try to ensure Cummins has the right products to meet the legislative requirements and the market needs in all global markets. It's a challenge because certain places have very stringent regulations around emissions and others are not so strict. My team and I select the appropriate product architecture for each opportunity, taking into account political mood and the required timescales for change.

So how do you manage the risk of getting your planning wrong?

Our Product Compliance and Regulatory Affairs (PCRA) group is one way we get a sense-check: they are great at using their networks around the world to see what might be coming along, over what timeframe and how it might correspond to what's happening in other regions. We also work with regional product planning experts, and we closely tie in with our regional and global customers and joint venture partners to arrive at a product recommendation.

Does Cummins take an overarching view on emissions?

We generally push for more stringent regulations as a company because it's the right thing to do and because tougher regulations represent a bigger challenge which can open up opportunities for us. We have to consider what the market can sustain in terms of the upfront cost of the product, the operating costs and the reliability. Whatever products we propose in any given market must be appropriate and commercially feasible.

Here in Europe, we have Euro 7 emission regulations on the horizon. What are your thoughts?

We are seeing requirements to separately address both pollutant emissions and CO2  around 2029-2030. Euro 7 covers pollutant emissions and is focused on reduction of NOx emissions, tightening the limits on the number and size of particulates, and introducing a limit on N2O (nitrous oxide - a greenhouse gas) for the first time.

For CO2, the first phase of the regulations, which calls for a 15% reduction on the 2019 baseline number, comes into force this year. The next stage is July 2030 when the reduction compared to 2019 is 43 per cent. That's a challenging ask and will only be achieved by OEMs arranging their product mix in such a way that their total CO2 output averages out at the required number. 

Isn’t there also a requirement to consider emissions over a longer timeframe?

Yes. Euro 7 specifies emissions lives of up to 15 years or 875,000 kilometres, whichever comes first. With Euro VI, it was seven years and 700,000 km, so it's a big step up. The European Commission's objective is to ensure and verify lifetime compliance through ISC (In-Service Conformity) tests.

There also changes proposed for on-board diagnostics and the addition of on-board monitoring that will allow emissions to be checked in real-time on every vehicle, every driver, every duty cycle.

We intend to have our Euro 7 products connected so customers can benefit from remote downloads and software updates, and we can capture data to see if the vehicle is operating without any faults, or if we can tweak the calibration settings to improve fuel economy. It will also help us ensure vehicles are getting properly maintained.

What might be the winning technologies?

I think the way forward will be a combination of different powertrain layouts and different fuels. Within that, the 'headline makers' will be battery electric and fuel cells but we also have HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), renewable diesel, natural gas and renewable natural gas, and hydrogen. Also, hybrids are gathering interest. I'm a particular fan of HVO - I use it in my car - because it drops into existing machines without modification and gives an instant 90 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions well-to-wheel.

So what’s the future for diesel?

Our strategy is based on the premise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to fuel types and we have to keep all options open. Some applications, for example, are relatively easy to move to battery electric but some are more difficult to switch and that's where diesel remains the most viable solution, for now at least. We actually believe there's still lots of life in diesel. It's incredibly energy-dense, easy to work with and serves lots of different applications. Those demands aren't going away any time soon and the market demand will remain.

And what about aftertreatment systems?

The requirement to reduce NOx generally has an adverse effect on fuel economy and CO2. We are working hard to break that linkage. One of the key challenges is how to get more heat into the aftertreatment quicker. We're looking at how double overhead camshafts and variable valve timing can help us achieve our goal. That's one of the key technologies we're exploring.

Is this fragmentation of technologies the rationale for your HELM^® fuel-agnostic engine platform strategy?

Absolutely. HELM, which is shorthand for higher efficiency, lower emissions, multiple fuels, is about being very adaptable between different fuel types. We have developed a lot of fantastic IP (intellectual property) in the area of spark ignition so we can keep the engine block and all the connections into the vehicle common and modify the cylinder heads, pistons and fuel system to suit the desired fuel.

You mentioned powertrain solutions earlier. Has the acquisition of Meritor (now Cummins Drivetrain and Braking Systems) been a big factor in your strategic approach?

Yes it has. We increasingly view ourselves as a powertrain organisation rather than 'engine plus'. We already take that approach in the US and will be looking at opportunities around the world to partner with other Cummins units such as Accelera by Cummins on batteries and fuel cells, the former Meritor business on axles, brakes and suspension and Eaton-Cummins Joint Venture for transmissions.

Learn more about Euro 7 emission regulations 

This article is part of the 2025 Edition Cummins Europe Magazine, to read more European articles click here: 

Cummins Europe Magazine