A UK-based company that specialises in hydrogen-based combustion engine technology is all set to demonstrate what it claims as the world’s first combustion engine with the lowest emissions.

ULEMco, which stands for ultra low emission mileage company, says that a truck with a combustion engine powered entirely from zero carbon hydrogen fuel will take to the roads later this year. The truck is a  converted Volvo FH16 vehicle that will use what is believed to be the first ‘zero’ emission combustion engine anywhere in the world. The 100 percent hydrogen combustion truck, with Mega Low Emissions (MLE), is designed to provide a dramatic demonstration of how hydrogen fuel can be deployed to decarbonise heavy goods vehicles efficiently and cost-effectively.

The technology behind the claim
Unlike other ‘hydrogen-fuelled’ vehicles, the MLE truck uses hydrogen to power the vehicle using a combustion engine rather than via fuel cells and an electric motor. So, like a vehicle that runs on hydrogen fuel cells, the MLE truck has the benefit of zero unburnt fuel, particulates, carbon monoxide and even immeasurable amounts of NOx.

By using conventional engines and existing truck designs, ULEMco believes that the time frame required to achieve zero carbon emissions can be shortened significantly. Hence, unlike the electrification process, where the owner has to undertake a full transformation of the design and the powertrain, this hydrogen fuelled truck would be much cheaper and faster to transform.

As per ULEMco, the all-hydrogen truck will have at least 300hp of power and 300km of range with 17kg of hydrogen and no load on board.

A cheaper alternative to achieving zero emissions
ULEMco aims to demonstrate that a significant simplification of the vehicle emission control systems can be achieved through efficient combustion of hydrogen and the use of hydrogen fuel directly in combustion engines. The company also wants to prove that with just a modified conventional engine, the powertrain cost is minimised and zero emissions can be achieved in commercial vehicles at an affordable cost.

Amanda Lyne, CEO of ULEMCo, said, “With this MLE demonstrator, co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, we are showing that 100 percent hydrogen fuel in combustion engines is a practical and cost-effective option. It sits well alongside the hydrogen dual-fuel conversions that we have already implemented commercially.”

The company is already retrofitting diesel vehicles in the UK to enable them to run on locally available hydrogen. ULEMCo claims to support a fleet of nearly 40 vehicles across a range of hydrogen hubs in the UK with their hydrogen dual-fuel approach, which mitigates the range anxiety of alternative low carbon alternatives; the vehicles will function fully in diesel mode if hydrogen is not available. The company is targeting commercial fleet retrofits operating in urban areas, such as refuse collection and local deliveries, where back to base refuelling can be implemented.