HDT’s 2022 Newsmaker of the 12 months: The Inner Combustion Engine – Gasoline Smarts
Titan Freight Techniques, a regional less-than-truckload provider within the Pacific Northwest, discovered renewable diesel was key to assembly its emissions objectives — even because it prepares for battery-electric truck deliveries in 2023.
Photograph: Neste
At the same time as governments proceed to push for the transition to zero-emission trucking, work continues on making inside combustion engines greener than ever. The information this yr was stuffed with the most recent ICE developments, making the inside combustion engine HDT’s 2022 Newsmaker of the 12 months.
As Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins’ engine enterprise, mentioned in asserting the corporate’s “fuel-agnostic” engine platform, “attending to zero shouldn’t be a light-switch occasion.
“Carbon emissions that we put into the ambiance at present can’t be taken again. This implies something we are able to do to start out lowering the carbon footprint at present is a win for the planet.
“We all know our planet can’t watch for the right resolution.”
Renewable pure fuel and renewable diesel are already obtainable in some areas that can be utilized in present CNG and diesel engines. And within the coming years, the business will see extra alternative-fuel choices for inside combustion engines, in addition to ever-cleaner diesel engines, even hybrids.
Greener Fuels for Trucking
The wave of reports began in January, when Werner Enterprises and Cummins introduced the fleet would start validation and integration of Cummins’ 15L pure fuel and 15L hydrogen inside combustion engines in its heavy-duty vehicles.
Cummins introduced it should supply an internal-combustion engine that will likely be fueled with hydrogen.
Photograph: Jack Roberts
Cummins elaborated a few weeks later, asserting its new engine program.
The corporate’s B, L and X-Sequence engine portfolios for medium- and heavy-duty autos will see the addition of variations that function on fuels comparable to gasoline, pure fuel, hydrogen and propane. They’ll use engine blocks and core parts that share frequent architectures however will likely be optimized for various low-carbon gasoline sorts. Every engine model will function utilizing a unique, single gasoline.
At ACT Expo in California in Could, Cummins unveiled a 15L hydrogen engine that’s anticipated to enter full manufacturing in 2027. Hydrogen inside combustion engines can use zero-carbon gasoline at a decrease preliminary value than a fuel-cell or battery-electric car with little modification to at present’s autos, in line with the corporate.
Just a few months later, Westport introduced it had developed a brand new gasoline system that may burn hydrogen in heavy-duty IC truck engines.
The H2 HPDI gasoline system is predicated on Westport’s HPDI (high-pressure direct injection) know-how. HPDI permits heavy-duty vehicles to run on biomethane (renewable pure fuel) or pure fuel with the identical energy, torque, effectivity and efficiency as diesel engines, in line with the corporate. Westport officers mentioned the corporate has achieved even higher outcomes by adapting the HPDI gasoline system to run on hydrogen.
The H2 HPDI gasoline system provides a cheap zero-carbon resolution, Westport officers mentioned, delivering, tank to tailpipe, as much as a 98% CO2 discount over diesel.
When utilizing Westport’s hydrogen HPDI know-how utilized to a Scania 13L CBE1 engine platform, early check outcomes present a peak brake thermal effectivity of practically 52%, with engine-out nitrogen oxides just like the bottom diesel engine, which is suitable with Euro VII on-highway and EPA 2027 emissions requirements.
One other method we noticed this yr was ClearFlame’s engine modification know-how, which permits present heavy-duty engines to run on a spread of renewable fuels rather than diesel gasoline. By means of higher thermal administration, ClearFlame’s know-how permits these different liquid fuels to behave like diesel gasoline, with no lack of effectivity or energy, in line with the corporate. For his or her first vehicles, they’ve chosen ethanol primarily based on its decrease emissions, decrease price and widespread availability.
Hybrid powertrains are providing a approach to mix a few of these cleaner fuels with battery-electric operation.
Hyllion, which has been engaged on hybrid drive methods with a number of OEMs, together with Daimler Truck North America, inked a cope with Cummins to optimize its pure fuel engine because the generator for the Hypertruck ERX powertrain.
The Hyliion Hypertruck ERX is an electrical vary extender semi-truck powertrain resolution utilizing onboard energy era to recharge the batteries. The system provides 75 miles of electrical vary to qualify for credit below the California Air Useful resource Board’s upcoming ZEV mandates and may obtain as much as 1,000 miles of full vary by way of the generator.
And at ACT Expo, U.S. Hybrid launched a near-zero-emission pure gas-powered parallel hybrid powertrain know-how for use for drayage and long-haul vehicles. It provides 640 hp mixed energy and 1770 lb-ft most torque from the pure gas-powered engine. The electrical motor permits uphill acceleration.
Greener Fuels, Cleaner Diesels
Renewable pure fuel and renewable diesel are extra sustainable variations of fuels already utilized in engines, providing emissions discount with out altering the engine.
Low-carbon renewable diesel and biodiesel fuels are delivering important greenhouse fuel and different emissions reductions in California, and maintain expanded alternatives for lowering carbon emissions from the trucking sector in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and 6 different Northeastern states, in line with the Diesel Know-how Discussion board.
A latest examine evaluating choices for business truck fleets within the Northeast discovered that in comparison with a full electrification technique, between now and 2032, 3 times the discount in carbon dioxide emissions may be achieved at 25% of the fee by accelerating the turnover of older vehicles to new superior know-how diesel fashions and utilizing low-carbon renewable biodiesel fuels throughout all the fleet.
Renewable pure fuel permits fleets to fulfill cleaner-air and GHG objectives even whereas engaged on a transition to zero emissions, comparable to on the southern California ports.
Photograph: TTSI
On the identical time, diesel engines are getting extra fuel-efficient for a decrease carbon footprint in addition to assembly ever-stricter tailpipe emissions requirements.
The Environmental Safety Company’s SuperTruck II program helps truck and engine makers check out new know-how to enhance freight effectivity and gasoline financial system. Peterbilt confirmed off the tractor of its SuperTruck II challenge not too long ago, and DTNA plans to unveil its challenge early in 2023.
Lately we discovered Jacobs Automobile Techniques, leaning on its expertise with variable valve actuation, has developed an in-cylinder resolution that guarantees drastic cuts in NOx together with extra modest enhancements in gasoline effectivity.
Then there’s the opposed-piston engine. This yr, a number of organizations, firms, analysis labs, and academia, shaped the Hydrogen Opposed Piston Engine Working Group, a collaborative discussion board to advance sustainable transportation know-how. That features Achates Energy, which has been working with main engine producers to carry the opposed piston engine to market.
Achates’ 10.6L, 2-stroke, 3-cylinder, opposed-piston engine already meets 2027 emissions laws whereas being lighter and a claimed 30% extra fuel-efficient in comparison with an equal typical diesel.
Welcome to the ‘Messy Center’
There’s “an unprecedented combine” of latest powertrain applied sciences already on the business car market, mentioned Uma Vajapeyazula, director of Cummins’ engine enterprise on-highway product technique, throughout a press occasion over the summer time.
“We’re quick approaching a interval [Mike Roeth, the executive director of the North American Council of Freight Efficiency] calls ‘the messy center’ — a interval the place some applied sciences come to market earlier than others. With on this surroundings, fleets will experiment with a number of totally different alternative-fuel or zero-emissions powertrains in an effort to find which know-how works effectively for its specific purposes. Furthermore, this might very effectively imply that fleets could must concurrently undertake a number of totally different powertrain applied sciences to assist totally different purposes in numerous geographic areas.”
This text appeared within the November/December 2022 challenge of Heavy Obligation Trucking.
