Cummins is back at it again, this time pretending to save lives. Their latest “Power Onward” episode, “10 Seconds to Save a Life”, is a masterclass in emotional manipulation. Cue the soft piano, the solemn voiceover, and the close-up of a surgeon’s hands. Because nothing says heroism like flogging diesel generators in a hospital setting.
They call it “the invisible lifeline”. The only invisible thing here is accountability.
This is the same Cummins that just paid a $1.675 billion fine for emissions cheating. The same “global power leader” that has been spewing nitrogen oxides and soot for decades while claiming to “power a cleaner world”. Now they want applause for keeping the lights on in an ICU. You know, the same ICU their exhaust fumes might send you to in the first place.
They talk about “resilience” and “sustainability” like they’re interchangeable. What they really mean is “diesel wrapped in marketing”. Backup power, sure. But powered by the same dirty stuff that keeps kids coughing and cities choking. Cummins slapped the word “microgrid” on it and called it innovation.
“Within 10 seconds, we can save a life”, they say. Within 10 seconds, they can also belch enough exhaust to give an asthmatic a panic attack.
The video runs for 20 minutes. No one is watching that. Not even the poor apprentice who uploaded it. It’s a glossy montage of diesel engines shot like a perfume ad, complete with stock footage of nurses and sunlight through windows. The only thing missing is a tagline: “Cummins – because every breath counts, even the polluted ones”.
If this were really about saving lives, they’d be talking about electrification, clean grids, and getting off fossil fuels. But there’s no profit in that yet, so it’s diesel forever.
Hospitals need backup power, yes. They don’t need to buy it from the same people making the planet sick.
If Cummins really wants to save lives, it can start by shutting up about being a saviour and focus on not being the villain.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project