Whenever we start talking about hydrogen, there are plenty of skeptics who shout ‘man, man, man, no chance’. That apparently sparked something at MAN (or someone said it three times in front of the mirror at noon), because the company has now developed a V12 engine that can run on both diesel and hydrogen. The power is no less than 1,020 hp. The first two copies are now used for shipping.
The great thing is that it is not a brand new V12 engine. MAN took an existing model (with the catchy name D2862 LE448) and made an adapter for it to inject hydrogen. The engine can run on diesel as before, but can switch to hydrogen. If the engine runs on hydrogen, about 5 percent diesel is still needed.
Currently, two ships already have the converted V12 on board and, according to MAN, the diesel-hydrogen engine is ready for production. According to MAN, the addition of hydrogen would be good for a CO2 reduction of 50 to 80 percent. For enthusiasts: the hydrogen in these engines ignites in the same way as diesel, so through compression.
Hydrogen for trucks?
If they can convert marine diesels to run on hydrogen, that offers interesting opportunities for trucks. Technically the motors will be different, but the basic principle is the same. Converting existing trucks into hydrogen trucks would be a great step towards sustainability.
Nothing is known yet about plans to convert existing engines. MAN does want to start testing with hydrogen-powered trucks in 2023 or 2024. The brand develops engines that burn the hydrogen, but also powertrains that convert the hydrogen into electricity. The latter is also called a fuel cell.
Also read: This is what it costs to drive 1,000 kilometers on hydrogen in a car
The criticism of hydrogen is always that it is an inefficient substance. Energy is lost when making hydrogen and then converting it into motion. Still, it could be a good option for trucks. After all, carrying around a few thousand kilos of batteries is not very efficient either.
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