Let’s face it, cars are going green, whether you like it or not. Because of how the environment is messed up to a point of utter despair, the automotive industry in conjunction with various legislations has decided to make a difference. Every carmaker has been burdened with emission targets, which should they fail to comply would result in capped sales. Ultimately leading to poor financials.

While the goal is for a carbon-neutral environment, we have more ground to cover for now our mission is largely in its infancy. Judging by how things are going, the end result is achievable although time, cooperation, and infrastructure are important variables to be factored in.

Significant research has gone into the field of alternative energy and sustainability. While we are familiarizing ourselves with EVs and Fuel Cells, several interesting developments are happening in the world of internal combustion engines.

We know how Porsche’s planning on saving the dying breed. However, it’s JCB, a key player in heavy-duty machinery, that has devised a possibility to keep engines emissions-free. JCB’s newly developed hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine is a zero-emission alternative to EVs and Fuel cells.

With that said, could this technology prove to be a saving grace for petrolheads? Let’s find out.

Why Can’t Diggers Take The EV Route?

JCB.-Tim-Burnhope
Via: JCB

Basically, excavators and other forms of diggers have more running hours than an average passenger car. In this video by Harry’s Garage, Lord Bamford, Chairman of JCB, mentions that passenger cars, on average, run about 300 hours per year. In contrast, a normal heavy-duty back-hoe would have running hours close to 10 times that amount. He adds that in countries like India, machines of this scale run for at least 5000 hours per year. That’s staggering considering that an entire year consists of 8,760 hours!

To have electricity run an industrial equipment for 8-hours at the minimum will require significantly more batteries. Not only does it sky-rocket the costs involved, but the transition will add a ton of complexity and increase the overall weight. This will hinder efficiency rendering the whole exercise pretty much pointless. Mind you, JCB has many working electric and fuel-cell machines as well. So, it’s not like they’re not trying.

JCB-Hydrogen-Excavator
JCB

To compare, a 20-ton excavator would roughly set you back $200,000, which upon electrification would result in a price difference of around 130%. That’s nearly half a million dollars spent on what is a machine that's essentially part of an industrial fleet. Lord Bamford also mentions that many of these diggers are bought by people who make a living out of the purchase. If electrifying them increases the price astronomically, how will an average gentleman looking to employ himself afford such a machine?

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An Internal Combustion Engine Fueled By Hydrogen

JCB Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine
Via: JCB

As they say, Necessity is the mother of invention. JCB was struck with the problem of going zero emissions without sacrificing power and cost of purchase. This led the team of engineers to develop an ingenious solution. Currently, JCBs operate using diesel and by modifying the engine slightly, the engineers were able to run it using hydrogen.

The modifications as pointed by Chief Engineer John McCarthy involve changes done to the cylinder heads and ignition system. This was implemented mainly to accommodate the transition to Spark Ignition from Compression Ignition. Not only does the setup continue to use familiar componentry, but refueling times are just like any conventional fuel. Adding to this is the little to no increase in ownership and maintenance costs.

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Via: JCB

One of the inherent disadvantages of a hydrogen ICE is the production of various oxides of Nitrogen or NOX. The reason as it turns out is high operating temperatures. The engineers found a clever way to circumvent this by running the engine on a lean mixture of fuel. Hydrogen for a given mass has 3 times the energy density than the equivalent in diesel. This allowed the team to get the same torque figures without running the engine too rich. Another way to get rid of NOX is through selective catalytic reduction, common to diesel engines of today.

RELATED: California Wants Commercial Trucks, Vans Zero Emission By 2024

Will This Technology End Up In Passenger Cars?

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Via: JCB

Lord Bamford had few more pointers to support internal combustion engines. Since batteries use rare-earth minerals, the availability will only go down as time progresses. This could lead to batteries getting more expensive unless a new technology is developed. Also, EVs are generally on the expensive side of the spectrum. Conventionally powered vehicles remain the cheapest, albeit a polluting alternative. If one slots in a hydrogen engine, then the vehicle is marginally more expensive but becomes emissions-free. Hitting two birds with one stone.

Now, it’s not that easy might we add. Since EVs are becoming a trend and more government incentives favor electricity than hydrogen, widespread adoption could still take time. Also, hydrogen is yet to be a clean fuel. However, several industrial-scale electrolyzers are being manufactured around the globe, so it’s just a matter of time. Passenger cars may end up with a hydrogen engine as Toyota’s been busy developing one. Nonetheless, if the technology catches on, then the internal combustion engine will likely stick with us for a very long time.

Sources: JCB, Autocar, YouTube