INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Allison Transmission Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ALSN) and Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) today announced that they have received approval from the Air Resources Board (ARB) in California to sell the Allison H 40/50 EP™ hybrid propulsion system paired with Cummins ISB6.7 and ISL9 diesel-electric hybrid engines for transit buses and coaches.

"We are pleased to be the first hybrid system manufacturer approved for the transit market in California," said Deborah Gordon, executive director of regulatory issues and hybrid programs for Allison Transmission.

Allison's H 40/50 EP hybrid propulsion system is used for both straight and articulated transit buses. It has been shown to improve fuel economy up to 25 percent over similar diesel buses. Additionally, its regenerative braking capability can significantly extend the brake change interval by as much as 350 percent.

The dual Executive Order (EO) issued by the ARB to both Allison and Cummins allows sales of the Allison H 40/50 EP with the Cummins ISB6.7 or ISL9 hybrid engine, and is valid for 2014 models. Allison and Cummins will also apply for a 2015 EO.

"Cummins is pleased the hybrid system has received approval from ARB as it will provide transit customers another viable solution designed to meet their business needs," stated Laura Chasse, general manager of North American Bus Business. 

The Cummins ISB6.7 and ISL9 diesel-electric hybrid engines feature proven technology designed and developed in-house that is optimized to deliver the efficiency, durability and performance transit bus customers expect. The ISB6.7 diesel-electric hybrid engine is rated at 280 hp (209kW) while the ISL9 diesel-electric hybrid engine is rated at 330 hp (246kW) for the transit bus market.

"A major underlying factor for issuing the EO was the approval of the H 40/50 EP's Heavy Duty On-Board Diagnostics (HDOBD) system, which was also a major milestone that Allison was the first to achieve," said Gordon.

Since 2003, Allison has delivered over 6,500 hybrid propulsion systems which have accumulated nearly 650 million miles, saving over 34 million gallons of fuel and preventing 340 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world's largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

About Cummins Inc.
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins currently employs approximately 48,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,500 dealer locations. Cummins earned $1.48 billion on sales of $17.3 billion in 2013. Press releases can be found on the Web at cummins.com or cumminsengines.com. Follow Cummins on Twitter at twitter.com/cumminsengines and on YouTube at youtube.com/cumminsengines.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "forecast," "could," "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks. Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to: risks related to our substantial indebtedness; our participation in markets that are competitive; general economic and industry conditions; our ability to prepare for, respond to and successfully achieve our objectives relating to technological and market developments and changing customer needs; the failure of markets outside North America to increase adoption of fully-automatic transmissions; the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales or damage to our brand and reputation; the concentration of our net sales in our top five customers and the loss of any one of these; risks associated with our international operations; brand and reputational risks; our intention to pay dividends; and labor strikes, work stoppages or similar labor disputes, which could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our principal customers. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120702/DE33547LOGO

SOURCE Allison Transmission Holdings Inc.

Craig M. Koven, Allison Transmission, craig.koven@allisontransmission.com, 317-242-3432