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Engineering firm Mahle Powertrain said it had achieved a major milestone after converting a 13-litre heavy-duty engine to run purely on hydrogen.
Launched in 2023, Project Cavendish is a £9.8m programme supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK to develop end-to-end hydrogen powertrain capability for heavy-duty applications and supporting the transition towards net-zero transport.
As part of Project Cavendish MAHLE Powertrain has upgraded its testing infrastructure in Northampton for hydrogen operation.
“This milestone demonstrates that hydrogen combustion has a place as a clean fuel in the heavy-duty market,” said Jonathan Hall, head of research and advanced engineering at MAHLE Powertrain.
“Achieving the target torque and low raw engine out emissions from a hydrogen fuelled 13-litre heavy-duty engine represents a significant step forward, both for MAHLE Powertrain and for the wider industry, as we move towards practical hydrogen combustion solutions for heavy-duty applications.”
Achieving target torque is the first step – Mahle said the bigger challenge in hydrogen combustion was controlling NOx emissions.
The measured raw engine out emissions were very low and the addition of an SCR aftertreatment system would enable the tailpipe emissions to be significantly less than EU VII limits.
It added that the measured particulate emissions were negligible and readily manageable using existing particulate filter technology.
Project Cavendish brings together expertise from Mahle Powertrain, Phinia, BorgWarner, Cambustion, Hartridge, and Oxford Brookes University to deliver the next generation of hydrogen combustion technology.
