NORTH AMERICAN REPORT
Cummins, Inc., is working to develop hydrogen-powered engines, using approaches for Hydrogen combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells.
Both hydrogen engines and hydrogen fuel cells are better suited for long haul and many regional-haul truck applications than pure battery electric vehicles.
In North America, Cummins plans to introduce hydrogen internal combustion engines across their existing engine platforms starting in 2024.
Power Systems Analysis. PSR believes the engines will be initially installed in Freightliner, Volvo, Kenworth and Peterbilt medium and heavy trucks starting in 2024. The engine platforms include the B6.7 liter, the L9 liter and eventually the X15 liter engine starting in 2027. Cummins refers to this as their fuel-agnostic engine platforms in which the B6.7 liter engine will be offered with diesel, natural gas, gasoline, propane, and hydrogen versions while the L9 and X15 lines will be available in diesel, natural gas, and hydrogen versions.
Cummins is developing a hydrogen fueled B6.7L engine for Europe. Production is likely to begin in the 2023/2024 timeframe and it is likely that the DAF LF medium truck will be an early adopter.
Lower hydrogen cost and expanded fueling infrastructure would be needed before any significant vehicle adoption would occur.
Cummins is also entering the hydrogen fuel cell segment. By 2024, Cummins plans to provide 20 proton exchange membranes (PEM) to Scania in the Netherlands. The PEMs will then be integrated into Scania’s existing battery electric truck platform. The trucks will be delivered to HyTrucks that same year.
Cummins and Daimler plan to upfit the Freightliner Cascadia platform with hydrogen fuel cells based upon the Cummins fourth-generation fuel cell powertrain with initial delivery in 2024. Initial volumes will be relatively low primarily due to the high cost of hydrogen and a lack of re-fueling infrastructure. PSR
Chris Fisher is Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst at Power Systems Research
