A team from Beijing University of Technology and Beijing Automobile Research Institute Company has used ammonia as a combustion inhibitor to mitigate or eliminate knock and to expand power in a direct-injection hydrogen engine. A paper on their work is published in the journal Fuel. Hong et al. Knock-free operation... Read more →

A team from Tianjin University in China has expxlored the combustion and flame development characteristics of ammonia at different excess air ratios (λ) in an optical spark ignition (SI) engine employing high-speed natural flame luminosity (NFL) imaging, OH* chemiluminescence imaging and flame spectra measurement. The combustion performance and flame development... Read more →

The fourth generation of the Porsche Cayenne will be all-electric. Porsche is simultaneously moving forward with the development of its hybrid and combustion engine third-generation models. Up to and beyond 2030, the successful SUV will be offered with three powertrain variants worldwide. The third generation of the Cayenne will be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks and Mörtlbauer Baumaschinen Vertriebs GmbH jointly presented their two prototypes as part of the “WaVe” development project to research hydrogen combustion engines for special-purpose vehicles. The Unimog test vehicle and crawler demonstrated their performance in driving and working operation on the Mörtlbauer factory premises in Fürstenzell, Bavaria.... Read more →

Volvo Trucks North America announced the availability of an engine that meets California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2024 Omnibus regulation requirements for low nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions standards. The CARB Omnibus regulation mandates a 75% reduction in NOx emissions and a 50% reduction in particulate matter... Read more →

Rheinmetall has won two orders in the field of exhaust technology for hybrid vehicles with a total value of around €20 million. Both orders relate to the subsidiary Pierburg China. One order is for the supply of fuel tank shut-off valves (FTIV) by a well-known Chinese supplier of carbon canisters.... Read more →

Researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute have shown that superlubricity—a state with virtually no friction that was once believed to only be achievable at nanoscale—can now be maintained at macroscale for extended time periods under regular atmospheric conditions by employing sustainably... Read more →

A new study led by researchers from MIT finds that burning ammonia for maritime fuel could worsen air quality further and lead to devastating public health impacts, unless it is adopted alongside strengthened emissions regulations. It has been estimated that maritime shipping accounts for almost 3% of global carbon dioxide... Read more →

Planes flying into one of the world’s busiest airports are ingesting around 10kg of dust per 1,000 flights—with most of this dust ingested while they are waiting to land, new research has revealed. Scientists used 17 years of ECMWF atmospheric data and data from the CALIPSO satellite to calculate the... Read more →

MAHLE Powertrain, the specialist engineering subsidiary of the MAHLE Group, is expanding its Northampton facility to include a dedicated hydrogen powertrain testing capability. The capacity to hold two tube-trailers on-site with rapid switch-over functionality between them will ensure a near-continuous supply of hydrogen. In addition, upgraded engine dynamometers with a... Read more →

Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, has signed definitive agreements to acquire a 10% equity interest in HORSE Powertrain Limited, the new global powertrain solutions company, alongside Renault Group, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Geely Automobile Holdings Limited. HORSE Powertrain Limited was formed on 31... Read more →

Rolls-Royce has started, with a consortium of five companies and research institutes, to develop the necessary technologies for a highly efficient first-of-a-kind hydrogen combustion engine to drive combined heat and power (CHP) systems. Under the Phoenix (Performance Hydrogen Engine for Industrial and X) project, funded by the German Government, the... Read more →

Technology group Wärtsilä launched the world’s first large-scale 100% hydrogen-ready engine power plant. The IEA World Energy Outlook 2023 shows that hydrogen is an essential component of future power systems. According to the report, the pathway to reach net zero emissions by 2050 requires 17 Mt of hydrogen to be... Read more →

Aurobay, a HORSE Powertrain company, signed a significant agreement with the Turkish industrial conglomerate Habaş Sınai ve Tıbbi Gazlar İstihsal Endüstrisi A.Ş. Under the agreement, Aurobay will supply complete powertrain solutions for Habaş’ new passenger cars, with production scheduled to start by the end of 2026. Aurobay will supply two... Read more →

Peterbilt announced the availability of a new CARB low nitrogen oxide (NOx) compliant PACCAR MX-13 engine in the Models 579, 567 and 589. This engine meets the CARB Omnibus Regulation and features redesigns of internal hardware and the aftertreatment system to effectively reduce NOx emissions. The larger volume aftertreatment system... Read more →

The two classification societies, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd’s Register (LR), have awarded a new ship design of an ammonia-fueled 3,500 TEU container vessel Approval in Principle (AiP). A cross-industry taskforce including A. P. Møller-Mærsk, MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech, ABS, and LR, and led by... Read more →

Volvo Group and Westport Fuel Systems announced the closing and launch of their previously announced joint venture transaction. (Earlier post.) The joint venture is committed to accelerating the commercialization and global adoption of Westport’s HPDI fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications. The joint venture will be led, on... Read more →

Fokker Next Gen is designing a clean sheet aircraft to contribute towards the net zero carbon emission vision of the future of flight. The design is a single aisle narrow body commercial aircraft seating 120 to 150 passengers, and has a flight range of 2,590 km (1,400 nm). The aircraft... Read more →

CMB.TECH and Damen are collaborating on hydrogen-powered ASD Tugs. Built by Damen, these vessels use CMB.TECH’s innovative dual-fuel hydrogen technology that will significantly reduce emissions. The dual fuel hydrogen ASD Tugs 2812 FF-H2, with 80-tonnes bollard pull meet the most stringent IMO Tier III and EU Stage V standards. The... Read more →

Following the joint venture agreement signed on 11 July 2023 (earlier post), and after having obtained the approval of the relevant authorities, Renault Group, Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Geely Auto) (collectively referred to as “Geely”) have officially created HORSE Powertrain Limited, headquartered in London, United... Read more →

Subaru, Toyota Motor and Mazda Motor have each committed to developing new engines tailored to electrification and the pursuit of carbon neutrality. With these engines, each of the three companies will aim to optimize integration with motors, batteries, and other electric drive units. While transforming vehicle packaging with more compact... Read more →

Toyota Motor will enterthe ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2024 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE Round 2 NAPAC Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race, to be held from May 24 to 26, with the #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept, a hydrogen-powered GR Corolla running on liquid hydrogen. (Earlier post.) The durability... Read more →

Kenworth showcased its SuperTruck 2 demonstrator vehicle at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas. The truck was developed over a six-year period as part of a collaboration with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) SuperTruck program, designed to challenge truck makers to improve freight efficiency using a diesel engine as the... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is developing trucks with combustion engines that run on hydrogen. On-road tests with trucks using hydrogen in combustion engines will begin in 2026, and the commercial launch is planned towards the end of this decade. Volvo trucks with hydrogen-powered combustion engines will feature High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI),... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has successfully completed development of a hydrogen-fueled Class-8 demonstration vehicle, built as part of its industry-supported H2-ICE consortium. The central focus of the demonstration includes development of a Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) that produces ultra-low NOx and CO2 emissions while still providing enough torque and... Read more →

At ACT Expo, Achates Power (API) is displaying one of three engine variants of what it calls the cleanest and most efficient combustion engine architecture to date. With the industry facing massive disruption due to stringent limits on both criteria and CO2 emissions, API’s demonstrations of its opposed-piston engines have... Read more →

A full range of new Volvo truck models can now be powered by 100% biodiesel (B100), offering another renewable fuel choice for customers looking to reduce CO2 emissions from transport immediately. Volvo Trucks has one of the industry’s broadest ranges of renewable fuel options, including biodiesel, HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils)... Read more →

Bosch Engineering and Ligier Automotive have taken their Ligier JS2 RH2 hydrogen-powered demonstrator vehicle (earlier post) to the next level. In recent months, tests have been carried out to test the engine and the entire vehicle for robustness and endurance performance and to optimize the drive concept further. By systematic... Read more →

Fortescue, with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), successfully completed propulsion and maneuverability trials of its Singapore-registered Fortescue Green Pioneer in the Port of Singapore. (Earlier post.) The trials were conducted using 6.4 m3 (4.4 tonnes) of liquid ammonia, in combination with diesel and Hydrogenated Vegetable... Read more →

At the 2022 Paris Motor Show, Alpine presented its Alpenglow concept, embodying the brand’s ongoing research into hydrogen-powered combustion engines for sports cars, with the potential for high performance both on the road and in competition, in line with the brand’s decarbonization targets. Alpine has now presented the Alpine Alpenglow... Read more →

In a paper in the journal Fuel, a team from India reports on their investigation of he potential of ammonia as a secondary fuel in diesel engines. A single-cylinder diesel engine was utilized to assess engine performance and combustion characteristics using ammonia gaseous blends. Ammonia was combined with biogas to... Read more →

Aston Martin unveiled its new V12 engine, whic delivers 835PS and an extraordinary 1000N·m of torque. The result of a complete re-design, targeting optimization and improvement, the new engine refines every stage of the internal combustion process to achieve its levels of performance and efficiency. Hardware highlights of the new... Read more →

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the methanol-fueled auxiliary engines for five new container vessels for COSCO Shipping Lines Co., Ltd and seven new container vessels for Orient Overseas Container Line. Each vessel will operate with three 8-cylinder and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 32M engines. This is the Chinese maritime sector’s largest... Read more →

Lamborghini unveiled the Urus SE, the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Lamborghini Super SUV, at the Volkswagen Group Media Night ahead of the public premiere at Auto China Beijing 2024. The twin-turbo 4.0 V8 engine has been re-engineered to work in optimal synergy with the electric powertrain. It... Read more →

Eaton has been chosen to supply an electromechanical actuation system (EMAS) that can deliver an early intake valve closing (EIVC) to the China-based automaker Great Wall for use in a line of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV). The Eaton EMAS is a discrete valvetrain-based technology that allows manufacturers to select the intake... Read more →

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with colleagues from other institutions, have developed a metal alloy comprising niobium, tantalum, titanium, and hafnium with impressive strength and toughness at both extremely hot and cold temperatures, a combination of properties that seemed so far to be nearly impossible to achieve. In this... Read more →

Weichai Power unveiled a diesel engine with a base 53.09% brake thermal efficiency at the 2024 World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines in Tianjin. This achievement was officially recognized by TÜV SÜD, an international authoritative testing organization, and the China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC), a professional testing body... Read more →

Porsche is completing its Cayenne model line, which was comprehensively revised in 2023, with the new, particularly dynamic GTS (Gran Turismo Sport) models. The SUV and Coupé combine a 368 kW (500 PS) twin-turbo V8 engine with performance-driven chassis systems. The car is now equipped with adaptive air suspension as... Read more →

Mercedes-AMG unveiled the new flagship of the AMG GT Coupe portfolio—the 2025 AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE—expected to arrive at US dealerships in late 2024. The extremely powerful E PERFORMANCE hybrid drive features an AMG 4.0L V8 biturbo engine at the front and an electric motor on the rear... Read more →

LiquidPiston, Inc., a leading innovator of efficient internal combustion engine technology and hybrid power systems, announced that a fully integrated version of its 25hp XTS-210 heavy-fuel rotary engine (earlier post) has begun testing. This milestone follows the successful completion of initial dynamometer testing of the engine core and enables parallel... Read more →

Seaspan Corporation (Seaspan), the leading independent maritime asset owner and operator, and Hapag-Lloyd, one of the largest container shipping lines in the world, have entered into a partnership agreement to retrofit and convert five (5) 10,000 TEU containerships powered by conventional S90-type engines to dual-fuel engines capable of running on... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions has received an order for 3 × MAN 6L21/31DF-M (Dual Fuel-Methanol) GenSets capable of running on methanol in connection with the construction of a 7,990 dwt IMO Type II chemical bunker tanker. The dual-fuel engines will form part of a diesel-electric propulsion system on board the vessel... Read more →

Imabari Shipbuilding will install an MAN B&W 7S60ME-Ammonia engine with SCR in connection with the construction of a 200,000 dwt class bulk carrier for a joint venture between K Line, NS United and Itochu Corporation. The business represents one of the first projects for MAN Energy Solutions’ ammonia-powered engine that... Read more →

Commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus will be the first European truck producer to launch a small series with a hydrogen combustion engine. The initially planned small series of around 200 units is to be delivered to customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland and selected non-European countries as... Read more →

A team from Tsinghua University, with colleagues from BYD research, investigated the impact of NH3 blending on combustion and emission characteristics of a stoichiometric spark-ignition gasoline engine, with a particular emphasis on nitrogen-based emissions. The experimental investigation was complemented by chemical kinetic calculations. A paper on their work is published... Read more →

A team from Iran and Finland has investigated ammonia/diesel RCCI (reactivity-controlled compression ignition) combustion, (earlier post); a paper on their work is published in the journal Fuel. Representation of RCCI engine. Fakhari et al. The reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion mode presents a promising avenue for overcoming the challenges intrinsic... Read more →

BASF is now the first manufacturer to offer AdBlue as a ZeroPCF variant with a certified CO2 footprint (product carbon footprint = PCF) of <0.05 kg per kilogram of AdBlue. This value includes the amount of CO2 emitted in connection with the product during production up to the site gate... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions and Svitzer have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on the development of a methanol-fueled version of the MAN 175D engine, designated 175DF-M (Dual Fuel-Methanol). (Earlier post.) The MoU targets the finalization of a field-test agreement based on which a dual-fuel engine and plant equipment will... Read more →

Fortescue, with the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), government agencies, research institutes, and industry partners, has successfully conducted the world’s first use of ammonia, in combination with diesel in the combustion process, as a marine fuel onboard the Singapore-flagged ammonia-powered vessel, the Fortescue Green Pioneer,... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions announced that its MAN 51/60DF engine has passed the milestone of 10 million operational hours. The dual-fuel engine has proved popular with 310 engines currently in service—an increase of almost 100 units since 2022. The 51/60DF engine, which can run on a wide variety of fuels including... Read more →