SWRI is working with Cummins

The Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) is working with Cummins and other industry-leading suppliers to promote the development of hydrogen internal combustion engine technology to reduce emissions. Currently, vehicles equipped with hydrogen internal combustion engines in this project have been put into fleet application demonstration, drawing on the actual operation experience of the fleet.

Earlier this year, SWRI announced a major breakthrough. Its modified hydrogen internal combustion engine almost completely eliminated nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the exhaust gas, and the emission was significantly reduced to only 0.008g/hp-hr, which is far below the EPA 2027 emission standards, less than 1/4 of the standard limit, and lower than the California Air Resources Board (CARB) ultra-low NOx emission standards. In the FTP cycle test, compared with diesel engines, carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 99.7%, demonstrating the huge potential of hydrogen internal combustion engines to reduce emissions. As an important participant in the Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Consortium (H2-ICE Consortium), Cummins provided SWRI with the flagship product of its multi-fuel platform (HELM™) - the X15N natural gas engine, which SWRI converted to a hydrogen-powered engine.

The engine tested this time is different from the X15H that Cummins will launch. The purpose of this modification is to show everyone that with the existing engine architecture, hydrogen power conversion can be achieved quickly and easily. It took only 18 months from modifying the engine to equipping it with a Class 8 long-distance truck and achieving ideal emissions.
 
Most of the hydrogen internal combustion engines modified from the X15N natural gas engine use the original engine parts, and about 90% of the engine parts can be used in common.
 
In the first phase, SWRI used a 30 kg hydrogen storage system provided by another member of the alliance, and the vehicle's maximum driving range can reach 300 miles. The agency said that in the second round of upgrades, a larger capacity system can be installed as needed to achieve a range of 600 to 700 miles.
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