Dubbed the Hydrogen HPDI Fuel System, the technology enables heavy-duty trucks to operate on hydrogen with improved power, torque, efficiency, and performance as diesel engines while meeting global emissions regulations.

According to Westport, the technology boasts 20% higher power and torque than the base diesel engine, 5 to 10% better thermal efficiency than the base diesel engine, turbocharged 13 litre, in-line six-cylinder engine, hydrogen pilot ignition, four-cycle, compression ignition, and direct injection.

This could provide a quick and relatively cheap method in decarbonising heavy-duty transportation without huge overhauls to the current design of trucks. Because of this, the technology has great potential in the market.

David Johnson, CEO of Westport Fuel Systems, said, “We believe hydrogen HPDI is compelling, with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions at a lower cost than fuel cell vehicles or battery electric vehicles, particularly for heavy-duty, long-haul trucking.

“We have developed the engine to utilise the capability of HPDI to deliver what is needed today in the marketplace, using hydrogen in place of natural gas, with development work happening at Westport Fuel Systems facilities, and through previously announced programs with AVL/TUPY, and Scania. And we expect new hydrogen HPDI programs with other partners to come soon.”

Scott Baker, Vice-President of Engineering at Westport Fuel Systems, said, “HPDI has long been established as matching diesel engine performance, and efficiency, and now we have demonstrated power, torque, and efficiency significantly exceeding that of the diesel base engine by migrating from Natural Gas HPDI to hydrogen HPDI.

“The advantage of HPDI combustion is that it retains the high compression ratio of the base diesel engine and does not suffer from engine knocking as the hydrogen is injected towards the end of the compression stroke just after pilot ignition and combustion begins.”