Cummins unveils hydrogen engine that could replace diesel

As the price of diesel fuel breaks records and threatens the viability of transport companies, the engine manufacturer Cummins has just presented, as part of an event in California, an engine that runs on hydrogen. While all engine manufacturers aim to reduce polluting emissions, this mechanism could offer a much cleaner alternative to diesel fuel engines.

After announcing a little less than a year ago that it would invest in the development of engines with hydrogen; Cummins has just presented a first combustion engine of 15 liters which would run on hydrogen rather than diesel.

Based on the new alternative fuel platform called “fuel-agnostic”, the engine has reached the production stage and should be offered under the hood of medium-duty transport vehicles within a few years. The engine will develop an estimated 290 horsepower and produce 810 lb-ft of torque. Cummins is also working on a more compact 6.7-litre engine; the two mechanisms could enable the industry to significantly reduce its polluting emissions. The engine uses the typical components, but the entire upper part has been adapted to allow the combustion of hydrogen rather than diesel.

According to Cummins executives, while the development of battery and fuel cell electric vehicles remain attractive solutions for the future, the engine manufacturer believes that the combustion engine using hydrogen represents another solution of choice since it combines the reliability of combustion engines to the cleanliness of zero-emission fuel. Only water vapor is emitted.

The commercial transportation industry is critical to the economy, and the various stakeholders welcome any development or investment that will reduce harmful emissions. Cummins intends to continue to invest heavily in the development of cleaner engines over the next few years. The engine manufacturer wants to reduce the ecological footprint of its engines.

The manufacturer Freightliner has also recently announced that it wants to assemble trucks using the new hydrogen engine developed by Cummins. Is the future of commercial transport hydrogen? That’s what Cummins believes, having powered RVs, buses, tractor-trailers and farm equipment for over 100 years.

The idea is not new, Toyota is also working on the development of a combustion engine using hydrogen.