The recent Advanced Clean Transportation Expo event in California saw Cummins unveil a hydrogen combustion engine.
The red engine maker debuted its 15 litre hydrogen engine , which is built on Cummins’ new fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket each fuel type’s engine has largely similar components, and above the head gasket, each has different components for different fuel types.
This version, with expected full production in 2027, pairs with clean, zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, a key enabler of Cummins’ strategy to go further faster to help customers reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We’ve established significant goals as part of our PLANET 2050 sustainability strategy, including a target of zero emissions,” said Srikanth Padmanabhan, President, Engine Business, Cummins. “Reducing well-to-wheels carbon emissions requires innovation of both energy sources and power solutions. While use cases for battery electric and fuel cell electric powertrains are promising, the pairing of green hydrogen in the proven technology of internal combustion engines provides an important complement to future zero emissions solutions.”
Cummins announced the testing of hydrogen internal combustion (ICE) technology in July 2021, and has made impressive early results, already achieving production power and torque targets (over 100Nm of torque and 290 hp from the medium-duty engine).
Additional testing on Cummins’ more advanced prototypes will begin soon. With Cummins’ significant global manufacturing footprint, the company can quickly scale production.
The industry needs multiple solutions to meet the needs of all on- and off-highway customers and all applications considering the variation in duty cycles and operating environments.The engine will be a zero-carbon fuelled solution for multiple markets.
Cummins intends to produce hydrogen internal combustion engines in both the 15 litre and 6.7litre displacements, believing that these engines enable the industry to take action and reduce GHG emissions yet this decade, ultimately accelerating carbon reduction.
“Working with Cummins to navigate the journey to zero emissions means working with an experienced partner that has the right knowledge, tools, and resources to ensure a smooth transition,” said Jim Nebergall, General Manger, Hydrogen Engines at Cummins. “Our customers are responding favourably to this practical technology. These engines look like engines, they sound like engines, and fit where engines normally fit.”
According to Cummins, hydrogen internal combustion engines use zero-carbon fuel at a lower initial price than a fuel cell or battery electric vehicle with little modification to today’s vehicles. The company further asserts that accelerated market adoption of hydrogen engine powered vehicles is driven by the technology’s high technology maturity, low initial cost, extended vehicle range, fast fuelling, powertrain installation commonality, and end-user familiarity.
“Heavy-duty trucking is critical to the global economy and is one of the hard-to-abate sectors of the economy,” said Daryl Wilson, Executive Director of the US Hydrogen Council. “We are encouraged by progress at Cummins in the development of hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines and look forward to continued advancements that can help us reach cost-effective decarbonisation of economies worldwide.”
