January 30, 2024
By La Grada

The next generation of hydrogen engines is here. It’s getting serious and the electric market is shaking

Hydrogen-based technology is not only setting standards on the racetrack and in the automotive industry in general, it is also present in other areas of human activity where diesel and gasoline internal combustion engines have dominated for decades, such as the construction industry. This is the case of the B6.7H hydrogen engine developed by Cummins, which will be unveiled at the Intermat exhibition in Paris from April 24 to 27 this year.

Intermat is an international trade show that showcases, among other things, the latest advances in technological solutions for the construction industry. Cummins will use this platform to showcase this new engine, which can seamlessly replace diesel and gasoline engines currently used in a variety of construction equipment.

Cummins New Hydrogen Engine

This new design of the B6.7 engine has a displacement of 15 liters and can operate on a variety of clean fuels such as biodiesel, hydrogen and natural gas. One of its great advantages is that it requires no adaptations and can be easily connected to the equipment and accessories that work with conventional engines: cooling system, transmission and hydraulic system. On the other hand, its maintenance is no more demanding than that of a traditional diesel engine.

Cummins is an American engine company with more than 100 years of experience in the use and development of diesel engines, which is now betting on the use of hydrogen to create a new generation of engines that can compete successfully and have zero emissions. The B6.7 is part of its latest advance in this direction: an engine that can be used in all types of machines, with a maximum power of 290 hp (216 kW) and a maximum torque of 1200 Nm.

Cummins will also use Intermat as a platform to showcase its high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks, developed in partnership with the Dutch company NPROOX, one of the leading companies working on the development of high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks. The tanks on display have a pressure capacity of up to 700 bar.

Why could the new hydrogen engines be a threat to the electric motor market?

Although electric motors seem to be the alternative of choice to replace internal combustion engines in cars, machines, power plants, etc., it is becoming increasingly clear that internal combustion engines can also be a sustainable option. And they will serve as a complement to electric motor technology or replace it completely.

To date, most of the technology developed around hydrogen as a fuel has been focused on creating more efficient fuel cells that generate electricity to power batteries and electric motors. This is the direction taken by several major companies in the automotive industry, such as Toyota, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Honda and BMW.

On the other hand, there are companies that are betting on internal combustion engines, similar to gasoline and diesel engines, but fueled by hydrogen. It should be remembered that there are also companies such as Hyundai, BMW and others that are developing prototypes to participate in car races and in the world of competition.

Engines such as the Cummins B6.7 show that it is possible to achieve environmentally friendly technology in a short time. And it can be done without major changes, especially in the construction and heavy equipment markets.