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Huge truckmakers bet on hydrogen to extend combustion engine life

Some of the world's most significant truckmakers, consisting of Volvo and MALE, are reworking combustion engines to run on low-emission hydrogen instead of contaminating diesel, a quicker low-priced fix to their energy shift obstacle that may provide the dying innovation a fresh lease of life.

The international truck making market deals with a complex balancing act to get to no emissions. Electric batteries are too heavy for long-haul freight operations and take long to charge. Utilizing hydrogen fuel cells to create electrical energy decreases the weight and extends the range of trucks, however switching to this technology is pricey as companies need to style brand-new truck systems.

That is why truckmakers and their suppliers have shifted their immediate focus on establishing hydrogen combustion engines as a quicker, less expensive option that can count on existing production lines that have actually for years been a crucial financial motor for nations like Germany, executives at significant truck brand names and their suppliers told Reuters.

Concerns over what will occur to countless tasks in engine-making plants have grown as truckmakers shift towards battery and fuel cell options.

Everybody is dealing with this, said Reiner Roessner, vice president for sales at the engine division of guy Truck &&. Bus SE, part of Volkswagen trucking system Traton. , even as green hydrogen produced by eco-friendly sources. is not yet commonly offered. As soon as the hydrogen is. available, demand for hydrogen combustion will go up.

In its very first pilot task, guy will provide around 200. trucks with engines that work on hydrogen to European customers. next year to evaluate in their fleets, an essential step on the method towards. mass production.

Truckmakers are still purchasing establishing hydrogen fuel. cells as they say there is room for both technologies to exist. side by side for various vehicle types and uses.

Swedish truckmaker Volvo AB, which states it will. also have hydrogen fuel cell trucks commercially readily available in. the second half of this decade, is preparing consumer tests of. hydrogen combustion engine models beginning in 2026.

Hydrogen combustion engines will not be the majority of. Volvo's sales, said chief innovation officer Lars Stenqvist. However it will be a considerable volume.

Anders Johansson, vice president for sturdy automobiles at. Vancouver-based Westport Fuel Systems, said his. business has actually currently provided sustaining systems for 6,000. combustion engine trucks in Europe that work on gas or. biogas and can easily be adjusted to hydrogen.

DIFFICULTIES AHEAD

Although the innovation is reasonably mature, there are. difficulties to get rid of.

Unlike fuel cells, burning hydrogen in an engine can produce. some damaging emissions that Michael Krueger, senior vice. president for engineering at significant provider Bosch,. stated will need a filter.

Westport's engine system presently uses 1% diesel to ignite. hydrogen, which Johansson stated will be reduced and ultimately. replaced with a carbon-free fuel.

Also, hydrogen trucks require pressurized tanks that are bigger. than the ones used for diesel, so firms like Munich-based. start-up Keyou are working on various shapes to diminish them. down. And the tanks require to be safe under all conditions as. hydrogen is a highly combustible gas.

By far the biggest issue for hydrogen combustion engines. and fuel cells alike is the scant availability of green. hydrogen.

The European Union and the United States are funding green. hydrogen jobs alongside truck makers like Daimler. and energy giants like BP. However the rollout has actually been slow,. and it will take years to develop enough fueling. infrastructure.

Regardless of the challenges, significant suppliers like Bosch. and Cummins state truck makers have accepted the hydrogen. combustion engine since they already have factories and supply. chains devoted to the innovation.

We want to be quick. That's why this technology has a function. to play, Bosch's Krueger said.

Truckmakers from Italy's Iveco Group and DAF, a. European unit of U.S. truckmaker PACCAR, are also. working on hydrogen combustion choices.

Just recently Germany's Daimler unveiled 2 prototype. hydrogen combustion engine automobiles.

U.S.-based Cummins will offer test models to customers in. various regions in the next year or 2 and must have a. market-ready product within five years, said chief technical. officer Jonathan Wood.

Rather than leave truck fleets awaiting green hydrogen to. become commonly available, some truckmakers and providers say. combustion engines operating on gas or biogas can offer. an interim, lower-emission option than diesel.

Cummins' Wood stated making a hydrogen combustion engine. includes changing some crucial parts in its natural gas models,. which will allow customers to work their method down the carbon. emissions curve, from diesel to gas then hydrogen.

In addition to being a much easier switch for producers, trucks. running on combustion engines will be simpler for fleet customers. to handle in the medium term than fuel cell designs because it's. an innovation they recognize with, Wood stated.

This is a video game changer without a modification, stated Westport's. Johansson.

(source: Reuters)