Are we not to expect a joint venture with Cummins,

Are we not to expect a joint venture with Cummins, depending "on how talks go"? He did not say that Cummins was also considering forming a joint venture with Coates or even agreed to discuss one. He did not make a declarative statement, just an honorable mention. This is "George speak" at its best.

If there is to be a joint venture, George has already tipped his hand and lost a few bargaining chips by letting the world know that he is desperate to get production underway before his large orders grow "stale" as they have in the past. (His word, not mine.)

One last point. Coates took delivery of a Cummins 250 KW generator and it has still not been retrofitted a month later? This is something they have done many tomes. Are they waiting on parts or did George just want the Cummins people to observe the process?

It is hard for me to imagine that it takes over a month to retrofit an engine.
I'm not being critical, just raising some questions that I would like to know the answers to.

Keep what you have.