The air reeks of grease and ambition – a sour stench clinging to the industrial sprawl like a cheap pint gone flat. In this gritty limbo, Cummins has unveiled its H2-ICE engine – a hydrogen-fuelled beast that growls at the electric revolution and sneers at a world going soft on batteries. It’s a defiant mongrel, bred from diesel heritage and held up by a roster with patchy pasts: Johnson Matthey, a Delphi-linked partner, and Zircotec. These cracked pillars beneath Cummins’ latest gamble are already casting shadows on the hydrogen dream.
Cummins: The Diesel King’s Last Stand
Founded in 1919 in Columbus, Indiana, Cummins built an empire on diesel – engines powering trucks, buses and generators across a rapidly industrialising world. Their legacy: mechanical muscle and unapologetic scale. But empires rust. In December 2023, Cummins was hit with a $1.675 billion civil penalty under the Clean Air Act after being caught cheating emissions standards in Ram truck engines – a deal struck with the US Department of Justice and the EPA (reuters.com). A mighty fall for a brand so vocal about net-zero credentials.
Now, with the H2-ICE engine, they chase redemption – hydrogen burning in a combustion setup, a last stand for internal combustion in a world tilting toward electric. It’s technically clever – leveraging combustion expertise in a lower-emission format – but also a high-stakes punt. Hydrogen refuelling stations can cost over £1 million each, and the UK had fewer than ten publicly accessible stations by mid-2025 (gov.uk). Infrastructure rollout lags battery-electric networks by years, commentators warn (gov.uk). Cummins is betting the world’s not ready to close the curtain on combustion just yet – a stubborn punt on shaky ground.
Johnson Matthey: Scandal’s Old Hand
Johnson Matthey dates back to 1817 – a British name in chemicals and precious metals (bankofengland.co.uk). Its banking arm nearly collapsed in 1984 under risky debts, requiring Bank of England intervention (bankofengland.co.uk). Environmentally, it faced multiple incidents and fines between 2010 and 2019, from spills to explosions and regulatory penalties (chemscore.chemsec.org). Yet this is the partner Cummins has tapped for H2-ICE. Every time Cummins touts “clean innovation,” Johnson Matthey’s legacy lingers like damp rot on fresh paint.
Delphi Legacy: A Pension Wound That Won’t Heal
One partner traces roots to Delphi Technologies – a name soaked in betrayal. When Delphi’s salaried pension plans were terminated in 2009, some 20,000 retirees lost benefits while union schemes were preserved (oversight.house.gov). Early-2000s SEC action also found Delphi misstating earnings via inventory tricks (sec.gov). Any entity rising from this wreckage inherits more than assets; it inherits scars. If Cummins anchors its hydrogen future to such a legacy, it may be betting on trust that evaporated long ago.
Zircotec: A Minor Friction Point
Zircotec is the smallest player here – a ceramic-coating specialist with no major public scandals. In a high-stakes project, even small supplier hiccups matter. Cummins may see Zircotec as a niche cog in a vast system, but that doesn’t make it risk-free.
The H2-ICE Gamble: A House of Cards?
The H2-ICE engine is Cummins’ raised middle finger to the battery-powered status quo – a clean-burning relic re-engineered for a future that may never arrive. Without infrastructure, hydrogen vehicles remain show ponies on empty racetracks. With partners carrying heavy histories, even the best designs risk becoming liabilities.
Johnson Matthey’s eco-rap sheet, Delphi’s pension ghost and accounting stain, Zircotec’s supply sensitivities – each alone may seem minor. Together, they form a weak foundation beneath Cummins’ latest headline grab.
This isn’t a clean slate. It’s a scratched-up vinyl skipping on old sins. Cummins wants a redemption arc, but the ink is already smudged with the past. The H2-ICE could be a game-changer – or a tombstone. Either way, the bet’s on the table.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project
Sources
Delphi SEC accounting actions early 2000s – sec.gov
Cummins Clean Air Act settlement, December 2023 – reuters.com
UK hydrogen infrastructure: fewer than ten publicly accessible stations by mid-2025; station costs over £1 million each; rollout lag – gov.uk
Johnson Matthey founding and 1984 banking arm collapse – bankofengland.co.uk
Johnson Matthey environmental incidents & fines 2010–2019 – chemscore.chemsec.org
Delphi pension fallout 2009 – oversight.house.gov