Driven by the "double carbon" goal, the commercial vehicle industry and the internal combustion engine industry are facing great changes.
An energy-saving and carbon-reduction ecosystem is being built around green energy as the main line. Hydrogen energy is known as the "ultimate energy source of the 21st century" and has become an important direction for the technological revolution and layout of industries in various enterprises. The hydrogen energy strategy has driven the development of the fuel cell industry and also promoted the research and development of hydrogen internal combustion engines.
According to the incomplete statistics of the first commercial vehicle network, at present, Yuchai, Cummins, Shangchai, Weichai and Geely commercial vehicles, the research and development of hydrogen internal combustion engines is in full swing. At this year's high-profile National Two Sessions, the hydrogen internal combustion engine was also put into the bill again, and two representatives of the commercial vehicle industry "spoke" for it. So, is the era of the hydrogen internal combustion engine really coming?
Yuchai: China's first commercial vehicle hydrogen-fired internal combustion engine has been released
On December 21, 2021, Yuchai officially released China's first hydrogen-fired internal combustion engine for commercial vehicles at Beijing Institute of Technology. This is another milestone achievement in the application of hydrogen energy after the release of yuchai's hydrogen fuel cell, marking a key step in mastering the key technologies for large-scale and low-cost utilization of hydrogen energy.
The successful ignition of the YCK05 hydrogen-fired engine can be widely used in bus, municipal, sanitation, logistics and distribution scenarios. Professor Sun Bogang of Beijing Institute of Technology, who witnessed the success of the ignition, said that the thermal efficiency of the YCK05 hydrogen-fired engine is comparable to that of hydrogen fuel cells, and even better than some fuel cell products on the market, not only the hydrogen energy utilization efficiency is high, but also solves the mileage anxiety of the pure electric system, and the hydrogen charging time is shorter than that of fuel vehicles, once the technology is mature and the infrastructure is perfect, the promotion of hydrogen-fired engines will usher in explosive growth.
It is reported that in order to better meet customer needs, Yuchai has carried out technical research and reserves in light, medium and heavy hydrogen-fired engines. At this year's two sessions, Yuchai representative Xu Yanni suggested that the state introduce and improve the policies and regulations related to the upstream and downstream of the hydrogen internal combustion engine industry chain, strengthen the construction of hydrogen energy infrastructure facilities, and support the acceleration of policies and regulations related to the upstream and downstream of the hydrogen internal combustion engine industry chain; and she also showed the prime minister the models of Yuchai YCK05N and YCK15N hydrogen-fired engines.
Weichai: To release the first heavy-duty commercial vehicle hydrogen internal combustion engine
In terms of energy conservation and emission reduction under the "double carbon" goal, Weichai's achievements have attracted global attention and achieved a breakthrough in the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines. On January 8, 2022, Weichai Power released the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 51.09%, which is reported to reduce carbon emissions by up to 10%.
Xiaobian learned from Weichai Power's 2021 annual report that in addition to improving the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine, Weichai has also further achieved a significant reduction in carbon emissions by laying out low-fuel engines and developing low-carbon combustion technologies, among which zero carbon emissions can be achieved in the future through the layout of hydrogen internal combustion engines.
On November 17, 2021, Tan Xuguang issued the "Six Walking in the Front" mobilization order, which was mentioned in the first place of scientific research and innovation, and released the first heavy-duty commercial vehicle hydrogen internal combustion engine, conquering carbon cycle fuel engine technology, and boosting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
Tan Xuguang
Cummins: Plans to "decarbonize" 15L hydrogen internal combustion engines in 2050 will start operational verification
Cummins has been committed to providing users with a variety of power solutions. Xiaobian learned that as early as July 2021, Cummins announced the start of forward-looking testing of hydrogen internal combustion engine development. Hydrogen internal combustion engines were chosen because electric solutions cannot meet their operational requirements for high load and high power density applications, while fuel cells are not yet economically viable. The advent of hydrogen internal combustion engines comes at an opportune time to provide an economical zero-carbon solution for these applications.
Cummins hydrogen internal combustion engine testing
Technically, relying on decades of R&D and application experience in the field of global natural gas engines, Cummins believes that it has inherent advantages in the field of hydrogen internal combustion engines. Economies of scale and reliable quality and durability are achieved through the extensive use of universally compatible engine components, and the use of new engine platforms and new combustion systems enables rapid hydrogen combustion and maximizes power density and efficiency.
According to Cummins China official micro news on January 29, Cummins and logistics and transportation company Werner Enterprises jointly announced that Werner's fleet will start Cummins' latest 15L hydrogen internal combustion engine operation verification. The 15L hydrogen internal combustion engine can use green hydrogen produced by Cummins electrolyzers as fuel for zero emissions.
Shangchai Power: Hydrogen engine project started to strive for one year to complete the development and ignition of prototypes
Xiaobian noted from The official website of Shangchai that it released the article "The Company's Hydrogen Engine Project Started Before The Day" on December 16, 2021. From the article, we can understand that Shangchai held a hydrogen engine pre-research project kick-off meeting in December last year. The product research and development department set up a product research and development department to set up an inter-departmental development team, and the team leader Dr. Zhuang Jian reported the preliminary research of the project to the project team members from the departments of technology, planning, procurement, testing and other departments, and introduced in detail the technical route, development plan, development plan, organizational structure and division of labor and management methods of the hydrogen engine.
The article also revealed that hydrogen engine is a new field for Shangchai, the project has many technical difficulties, and the time schedule is tight, but the company is determined to race against the clock, go all out, and strive to complete the prototype development ignition and related optimization calibration work in one year.
Geely Commercial Vehicle: AVL hydrogen engine has entered the research phase with a thermal efficiency forecast of more than 45%.
As a deputy to the National People's Congress, Liu Hanru, chief scientist of Geely Commercial Vehicle Group, spoke out for hydrogen internal combustion engines at the two sessions in 2021 and 2022. In Liu Hanru's view, hydrogen internal combustion engine is one of the important solutions for heavy commercial vehicles under the carbon neutrality target, he suggested that the hydrogen internal combustion engine be included in the hydrogen energy strategy, the establishment of hydrogen internal combustion engine special projects, the establishment of a number of demonstration projects.
Liu Hanru
According to Liu Hanru, domestic automobile and internal combustion engine companies have begun to develop performance prototypes and soon entered the stage of prototype development. Geely Commercial Vehicle Group and Hanma Technology, represented by Liu Hanru, have also taken action in the hydrogen internal combustion engine project. Xiaobian learned that the AVL hydrogen engine based on the Hanma Power 13L natural gas engine has entered the research stage, and the thermal efficiency is predicted to be above 45%.
epilogue
Judging from the current situation of various enterprises, the hydrogen internal combustion engine industry in the mainland is still in the early stage of development. Because the hydrogen internal combustion engine has the advantages of a variety of fuel adaptability and high combustion efficiency, it can achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions, and the market prospect is promising, and everyone believes that it is an important technical path for the mainland internal combustion engine industry to implement the "double carbon" goal.
At present, the national ministries and commissions support the diversification of technical routes, and the hydrogen internal combustion engine is expected to be included in the hydrogen energy strategy. However, "Rome is not built in a day", hydrogen internal combustion engine to achieve commercialization, there is still a long way to go, reasonable policy encouragement and support is an indispensable driving factor.