How Do Hydrogen Engines Work?

How Do Hydrogen Engines Work?

How has H2-ICE technology advanced in recent years?

The prominence and utilization of hydrogen technology have risen in recent years. A $10.5 million award for research and development of hydrogen internal combustion engines from the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office changed all that. Today, through collaboration with Cummins, Paccar and Mahle, now offers:

• Much lower cost than fuel cell and all-electric engines
• Power that is on par with diesel
• 15-minute refueling time with a 500-mile range
• Familiar engine architecture that doesn’t require huge or costly shifts in shop tooling and training
• Emissions low enough to meet the EU’s definition of heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles

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How do the similarities of diesel, natural gas and hydrogen engines translate to customer benefits?

• With few modifications, a hydrogen engine leverages the existing diesel platform and only changes a few components required: a spark plug creates the ignition, a modified cylinder head and a few other elements that come in contact with the fuel enable a diesel engine of today to run on hydrogen.
• Hydrogen engines can lower emissions, reduce costs, deliver reliability and address challenges such as pre-ignition and NOx formation through solutions like direct injection and exhaust treatment systems.

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How can hydrogen fuel power a vehicle?

Hydrogen powers engines in two ways:

1. Through fuel cells — which convert hydrogen to electricity to power a vehicle’s electric motors.
2. Through hydrogen engines — which burn hydrogen as fuel in internal combustion engines.

Each method has its own advantages and applications. Hydrogen engines are a more familiar technology historically. One of the very first internal combustion engines ran on a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen — and featured an electric spark ignition mechanism.

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Can hydrogen engines work in transportation sectors beyond medium- and heavy-duty trucks?

• Hydrogen internal combustion engines combine existing technology with clean hydrogen fuel to deliver a zero-carbon transportation solution. They are appealing to vehicle makers, operators and service technicians because they’re similar to diesel engines but with hydrogen's potential to reduce emissions. With most components remaining unchanged, they provide familiarity for end-users plus reliability akin to diesel engines.
• Examples of hydrogen engines go beyond trucking to marine and construction.

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