Cummins has led a consortium of technology companies – Johnson Matthey, Phinia and Zircotec – called Project Brunel, which has developed a 6.7-liter hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) for medium-duty trucks and buses. The project was match-funded by UK government and facilitated by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).
Together, the project partners have developed a hydrogen internal combustion engine concept based on Cummins’s existing spark-ignited engine platform. Underpinned by new hydrogen fuel injection technology from Phinia, aftertreatment catalyst and advanced metals chemistry development from Johnson Matthey, and hydrogen barrier coatings from Zircotec, the project is stated to have delivered significant improvements in H2-ICE engine performance and durability.
Jonathan Atkinson, executive director, product strategy at Cummins, said, “Project Brunel highlights the power of collaboration between industry leaders and underscores our ongoing commitment to industry decarbonization. This project has successfully delivered a viable, familiar power option that meets the operating requirements of today’s commercial vehicles – with zero-carbon fuel, and without the need for a complete vehicle redesign. This is a major achievement for Cummins Darlington, and for the UK’s hydrogen technology leadership. We hope the government recognizes this technology’s potential for commercial vehicles beyond 2035 and 2040, to align regulation with other major global markets.”
Though the 6.7-liter engine was developed for medium-duty vehicles, Cummins states that the design is scalable to heavy-duty applications, including non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) such as construction and agricultural equipment.
The company is already developing a 15-liter hydrogen internal combustion engine for heavy-duty vehicles. It also recently invested more than £13, (US$16.8m) in a new powertrain test facility at its Darlington Campus, which expands the company’s test capabilities to include full powertrains powered by advanced diesel, natural gas, hydrogen and battery-electric technologies.
