Here’s a video showing the method of converting a truck to hydrogen power, made by Cummins to demonstrate the conversion’s feasibility.
Cummins says it converted a medium-duty delivery truck to operate on zero-carbon hydrogen fuel powered by the new B6.7H hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) with no compromise on performance, cargo capacity or payload. The H2-ICE proof-of-concept truck was revealed at the IAA expo in Germany and attracted major attention, featuring a 700-bar pressure high-capacity hydrogen storage system enabling a 500km operating range.
The B6.7H hydrogen engine with up to 290hp (216kW) output and 1200Nm peak torque is an all-new engine platform featuring technology to enhance power density, reduce friction losses and improve thermal efficiency. As a result, the claimed performance is equivalent to that of a similar displacement diesel engine and compatible with the same transmissions, drivelines and cooling packages. A further benefit of the B6.7H is the fact that it is significantly quieter running than a diesel.
“The H2-ICE concept truck puts Cummins at the forefront of this rapidly emerging internal combustion engine technology using zero-carbon hydrogen fuel,” said Alison Trueblood, Cummins Executive Director, On-highway Business Europe.
“While Cummins hydrogen fuel cells offer a highly effective solution for specific applications within the truck industry, our hydrogen engines can also help accelerate fleet decarbonisation by offering a lower cost basis using more familiar engine technology.”
The Cummins H2-ICE project utilised a Mercedes-Benz Atego 4×2 truck, representing a versatile and widely used vehicle for multi-drop distribution haulage. Technical development work on the H2-ICE concept truck was undertaken by the Cummins team at the Gross-Gerau facility in Germany, working in collaboration with vehicle engineering specialists, the EDAG Group.
“The introduction of H2-ICE powered trucks over the shorter term can help develop the hydrogen fuel infrastructure to bridge the way forward for the wider adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles,” said Trueblood. “In this way, hydrogen engines and fuel cells are complementary technologies, working together to drive the hydrogen economy forward.”
The hydrogen tanks are structurally reinforced with carbon fibre to provide a superior strength-to-weight ratio. High-capacity fuel storage, combined with the energy efficiency of direct-injection learn-burn combustion enable the B6.7H powered truck to offer a potential range of up to 500km, sufficient for most medium-duty trucks and significantly more than an electric-battery powered truck of a comparable size.
A Cummins-designed fuel control module brings together the hydrogen fuel refill point, the fuel filtration and fuel distribution system in a single unit with easy access. Refilling the truck with hydrogen gas fuel is estimated to take 10 minutes.
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