Which Cummins Engine Makes The Most HP? (And What Vehicles Use It?)

Cummins is an Indiana-based manufacturer of diesel engines. For decades, their large-capacity and turbocharged diesel engines have powered some of the hardest-working and most capable pickup trucks on sale. To this day, Cummins engines are still an option in some heavy-duty trucks, such as the Ram 3500HD.

Some engines have become iconic for their high power and torque outputs, such as the legendary 5.9L Cummins inline-six and the later 6.7L unit. In factory trim, the most powerful 5.9L engine managed to churn out 325 horsepower, while the 6.7L engine was able to outdo this and crank out 430 horsepower, in addition to a mighty 1,075 lb-ft of torque. It's engines like these that kept Cummins in the game, even in the face of incredibly capable competition, such as the Ford Power Stroke diesel engine. However, these are not the most powerful Cummins engines ever made, as that title is claimed by an engine that's far too large to fit into even the biggest and brashest of pickup truck engine bays.

While the roadgoing Cummins engines are certainly impressive, and ideally for hauling hefty loads and towing heavy machinery, the Cummins engine with the most HP is actually a specialist engine designed for industrial purposes, dubbed the QSK95.

Peak outputs of the QSK95 are enough to have even the most powerful and fastest electric hypercars quaking with fear, as this 16-cylinder lump develops between 3,000 and 5,100 horsepower, in addition to a chassis-twisting 11,671 – 17,802 lb-ft of torque, depending on the application. This huge V16 engine sports a 95L capacity and uses four turbochargers to help boost output. It has been developed especially for industrial uses, such as mining, marine, rail, and power generation, and as such finds a home in some rather impressive vehicles. Much like the Cummins engines most will be more familiar with, this gargantuan V16 also runs on diesel, although it weighs over 29,000 pounds, so the similarities between these and the typical Ram engine are few and far between. 

So, what sort of vehicle requires a quad-turbocharged V16 with a 95L capacity and up to 4,400 horsepower? The answer is some immensely huge and hard-working industrial machines, chiefly passenger and freight locomotives, marine vessels, and ultra-class mining trucks.

It's actually the most powerful engine ever developed for ultra-class trucks, but what exactly are they? Ultra-class haul trucks are defined as trucks with payloads in excess of 290 tons – the most capable in current production is the BelAZ 75710, which can carry a load of 450 metric tons. Rather than using one QSK95, the BelAZ uses two, 2,300-horsepower, four-stroke diesel V16 engines.

Not all ultra-class trucks use the QSK95, but one that does is the Komatsu 980E-5SE. This Komatsu uses the most powerful Cummins engine to date to deliver 4,400 horsepower at just 1,800 rpm, and boasts an operating weight of 1.4 million lbs. The Komatsu also packs a number of creature comforts that make handling the mighty machine more manageable for the operator, such as cruise control, traction control, and what Komatsu calls an 'automotive-style cabin'.