The facility will support research and development into both alternative fuel engines and fuel-cell electric drivelines, as part of Ricardo's ambition to establish a global centre of excellence for hydrogen technologies and for electrified transport engineering.

BorgWarner is using its in-house expertise to develop the hydrogen internal combustion engine for installation in on-highway commercial vehicles. Truck & Bus Builder follows up the ‘H2ICE’ demonstrator model, debuted at Cenex in the UK with an interview with Luc Beduneau, Engineering Director of the BorgWarner Centre for Innovation & Engineering Excellence (CIEE) in Blois, France, to gain more insight into the project and the hydrogen internal combustion engine.

The 12-metre bus is fitted with a diesel engine which Keyou has converted to run on hydrogen and a “mild-hybrid” transmission with energy recuperation capabilities.

Cummins has laid out its hydrogen strategy, which involves three key areas: The production of green hydrogen, the management and transportation of hydrogen, and the application of hydrogen in engines and fuel cells.

Cummins has developed a modular engine block with interchangeable cylinder heads and injection systems to be powered by a multiple of clean fuels namely hydrogen, biogas, diesel and HVO (biodiesel).

The total number of alternative drivelines in city buses in European Union 27 countries plus the UK, Norway (NO), Iceland (ICE) and Switzerland totalled 8,911 units accounting for 59.2% of total city bus registrations in 2021 of 14,990 units, according to market analysis by Wim Chatrou of Chatrou CME Solutions of The Netherlands.

While hydrogen still has less of a market share than many other alternative fuels, it has some compelling advantages as a fuel: It offers zero emissions, especially for heavy-duty vehicles that require fast fill times and a lot of on board energy storage, stated Erik Bigelow, Center for Transportation and the Environment.