Rolls-Royce has approved its mtu Kinetic PowerPacks, based on the mtu Series 4000 and 1600 diesel engines, for use with renewable diesel (HVO/Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) and the other synthetic diesel fuels of the EN15940 standard. With HVO the CO2 footprint of the mtu systems for dynamic uninterruptible power supply (DUPS)... Read more →

The Volkswagen brand aims to make significant gains in South America with a major product offensive. By 2027, the company plans to grow by 40% in Brazil, the region’s largest market. For example, 15 new electric and flex-fuel vehicle models are being launched by 2025 alone. Hybrid vehicles will also... Read more →

MAN Engines is now offering pre-chamber spark plugs adapted to the respective combustion chamber to all turbocharged natural gas engines of the current MAN E3262, E3268, E0836 and E0834 series as an option, as well as MAN E3872 as obligatory. Due to backward compatibility, existing combined heat and power plants... Read more →

Technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted by Swedish ferry operator Stena Line to carry out and convert some of its vessels to operate with methanol fuel. The conversions will include the fuel supply system and engine modifications, as well as integrating the new installations with the ships’ existing systems. The... Read more →

Mazda Motor has started mass production of the European model of the MAZDA MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV at Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima City. (Earlier post.) This marks the use of Mazda’s first mass-production rotary engine vehicle in 11 years since the Mazda RX-8 was discontinued in June 2012. Mazda... Read more →

A research consortium led by Ford Research and Innovation Center Aachen is currently investigating the technical conditions under which diesel vehicles can run on dimethyl ether (DME) as an alternative fuel. DME is a gas that has similar physical properties to the liquid gases propane and butane and is also... Read more →

As a first in the shipping industry, A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) will retrofit an existing container ship to a dual-fuel methanol powered vessel. The first engine retrofit in the industry is scheduled to be conducted medio 2024 and it is the intent to replicate on sister vessels when going... Read more →

Rolls-Royce announced its new small gas turbine that has been specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight is set to begin testing. The engine is part of a turbogenerator system that is being developed for the Advanced Air Mobility market. This includes electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Aircraft for Urban... Read more →

BMW will showcase its BMW H2R Record Car alongside the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 in the UK in addition to the latest models from its range, including the all-electric drive versions of the BMW 5 Series. BMW Record Car H2R BMW anticipated... Read more →

Airbus Ventures has invested in Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based hypersonic flight startup seeking to enable cost-effective one-hour global transport. Venus has developed—as part of a technology portfolio aimed at producing its envisioned Stargazer hypersonic aircraft—a liquid-propellant rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with a double-digit percentage increase in efficiency over standard... Read more →

General Motors plans to invest $632 million in Fort Wayne Assembly to prepare the plant for production of the next-generation internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size light-duty trucks. This investment will enable the company to strengthen its industry-leading full-size truck business. This investment will support new conveyors, tooling and equipment in... Read more →

At a press conference of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) at Circuit de la Sarthe in western France, Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda revealed the hydrogen engine vehicle prototype “GR H2 Racing Concept”. Developed with future competition in its sights, the prototype’s unveiling was spurred by a recent... Read more →

Just a few months into a joint innovation project (earlier post), engineers from Bosch Engineering and Ligier Automotive have built a high-performance vehicle with a hydrogen engine. The demonstrator is based on the Ligier JS2 R race car, which was modified for hydrogen operation. The Ligier JS2 RH2 was officially... Read more →

General Motors plans to invest more than $500 million in Arlington Assembly to prepare the plant for production of future internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size SUVs, subject to successful discussions with local government officials. Through this more than half-a-billion-dollar investment, Arlington Assembly will receive new tooling and equipment in its... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions has introduced its latest engine, an auxiliary MAN 35/44DF CD type. Developed in cooperation with STX Engine and solely for production by MAN licensees, the new engine is particularly aimed at container and LNG carrier applications. The GenSet was developed with the clear aim of cutting down... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a partnership on ammonia-fueled vessels. The project will see WinGD applying its X-DF-A ammonia-fueled engines to a range of vessel designs, with Mitsubishi both designing the... Read more →

General Motors plans to invest more than $1 billion in two of its Flint, Michigan, manufacturing sites—Flint Assembly and Flint Metal Center—to prepare those plants for production of the next-generation internal combustion engine (ICE) heavy-duty trucks. Product details and timing related to GM’s future HD trucks are not being released... Read more →

Constellation Energy has set an industry record for blending high concentrations of hydrogen with natural gas, further evidence that hydrogen can be an effective tool to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Working with Siemens Energy and EPRI, the hydrogen blending test was conducted at Constellation’s Hillabee Generating Station, a three-unit, 753-megawatt... Read more →

Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Saudi Aramco have published a study attempting to identify the best strategy for hydrogen internal combustion (IC) engines. Their paper appears in the journal Fuel. The team used computational simulations to evaluate the combustion and emission characteristics of four... Read more →

Honda celebrated production of the 30-millionth engine built at the company’s Anna Engine Plant in Ohio with the production of the newly refined 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, which is part of the two-motor hybrid-electric system that powers Honda Accord and CR-V hybrid-electric models. The Anna plant, Honda’s largest engine plant... Read more →

China Merchants Heavy Industry has ordered 2 × MAN B&W; 7S60ME-LGIM (Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) engines in connection with the construction of 2 × 9,300 ceu (car equivalent units) Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) for China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES). The order represents a number of firsts, including the... Read more →

Lloyd’s Register (LR), Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN-ES) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a design for the ammonia dual-fuel operation of an MSC container ship. Under the MOU, a technical specification and the associated design... Read more →

Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS), a joint venture between MSC PSA Europe Terminal (MPET) and PSA Antwerp (PSAA), recently launched the first hydrogen dual-fuel straddle carrier in the Port of Antwerp. Using H2 dual fuel combustion engine technology developed by cleantech company CMB.TECH and integrated into a straddle carrier with the... Read more →

Toyota will enter the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Round 2 NAPAC Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race, to be held from May 26 to 28, with the #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept (hydrogen-powered Corolla) running on liquid hydrogen. (Earlier post.) It is the first time in the... Read more →

MAHLE Powertrain and Clean Air Power have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine their efforts in providing rapid and cost-effective solutions for net-zero fueled internal combustion engines. The two companies have a longstanding collaborative relationship that has delivered results across a number of research projects. As part of these... Read more →

According to MAN Engines, all MAN off-road engines from the current product portfolio can be operated with regenerative diesel—also known as HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil)—in accordance with the EN15940 standard in Europe or the US specification ASTM D975. By burning regenerative diesel, engines emit up to 30% less particulate matter... Read more →

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has completed delivery of an ammonia fuel supply system for large, low-speed two-stroke marine engines, to Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG), a manufacturer of marine engines. Ammonia fuel supply system J-ENG is currently conducting tests of ammonia fuel under various conditions... Read more →

Honda Motor plans to participate in the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) from the 2026 season as a power unit supplier. Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power... Read more →

ISC—NVIDIA, Rolls-Royce and Classiq, a quantum software company, have designed and simulated the world’s largest quantum computing circuit for computational fluid dynamics (CFD)—a circuit that measures 10 million layers deep with 39 qubits. Today’s quantum computers support circuits only a few layers deep. Rolls-Royce plans to use the new circuit... Read more →

IVECO, the commercial vehicles brand of Iveco Group, will support EDEKA Minden-Hannover—one of the leading food retailers in Germany—in converting the entire 700-vehicle company fleet from diesel to BioLiquified Natural Gas (bio-LNG) propulsion by 2025. EDEKA has already placed orders for the first 275 IVECO S-WAY LNG trucks in 2022... Read more →

An economic study by research group Steer, and commissioned by T&E;, looked at future operating costs of hydrogen planes on intra-European flights and found that they could be an efficient, cost competitive technology to decarbonize the sector, provided kerosene is taxed adequately. (If fossil kerosene is taxed in line with... Read more →

Mercedes-AMG presented the SL 43, a technically innovative new entry model for the AMG SL roadster, arriving in US dealerships in summer 2023, starting from $109,900. Under the hood of the open-top 2+2-seater is an AMG-enhanced 2.0-liter turbocharged M139 engine featuring an electric exhaust gas turbocharger. This technology is a... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new $99.5-million funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002893) in addition to the selection of 45 projects totaling $87 million from a FY 2022 funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002611) to advance production of next-generation electric vehicle (EV) technologies, train the future electrified transportation workforce, and support the equitable... Read more →

Toyota’s portfolio approach to providing customers with carbon-reducing options reached another milestone with a new flexible engine line at Toyota Kentucky. The flex line, representing a $145-million previously announced investment, can now produce three different engine types simultaneously on one line, making Toyota Kentucky the only Toyota plant in North... Read more →

Rolls-Royce successfully completed the first tests of its UltraFan technology demonstrator at its facility in Derby, UK. The first tests were conducted using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Confirming the capability of the suite of technologies incorporated in the demonstrator is a big step towards improving the efficiency of current... Read more →

US orbital logistics and space mining company TransAstra Corporation announced that the US Space Force has awarded it a Phase One Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to explore new applications for the company’s patented, propellant-agnostic Omnivore thruster. The Omnivore propulsion technology provides thrust typically six times faster and eight... Read more →

Yamaha Motor, Honda Motor, Kawasaki Motors and Suzuki Motor received approval from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to form a technological research association called HySE (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology) for developing hydrogen-powered engines for small mobility. Small mobility vehicles include motorcycles, Japan-originated mini-vehicles, small marine... Read more →

Bosch Engineering and Ligier Automotive have established a strategic partnership for developing high-performance hydrogen engine vehicles. The first step of the joint activities is to construct a demonstration vehicle based on the Ligier JS2 R. Compared to the production vehicle, the hydrogen-powered Ligier JS2 RH2 will be equipped with a... Read more →

Ricardo has announced a long-term, multi-year partnership with British supercar company McLaren Automotive to manufacture its next-generation V8 power unit. Designed in-house by McLaren’s powertrain team, the new high-performance V8 engine will power the next generation of lightweight, high-performance hybrid supercars as part of the company’s Future of Performance strategy.... Read more →

At ACT Expo in Anaheim, Shell announced that Shell Starship 3.0 will be updated with a Cummins X15N natural gas engine (earlier post) that will run on Shell Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Demonstration runs will be conducted this summer. The Starship initiative, launched in 2018, is intended to demonstrate how... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is designing innovative hydrogen combustion systems for gas turbines used in power generation. The designs prevent flashback, a common concern in hydrogen-fueled combustion systems wherein the flame from the combustor travels into the nozzle, which can result in damaged equipment. Hydrogen fuel has numerous benefits including... Read more →

​ Optimus Technologies recently announced a $17.8-million Series A funding round led by Mitsui & Co. out of Tokyo, Japan. The round included participation from one of North America’s largest commercial fleets, Chevron Renewable Energy Group, and Pittsburgh regional investors including: Idea Foundry, Inc., Innovation Works, Richard King Mellon Foundation,... Read more →

In March, Toyota’s GR Corolla H2 Concept (liquid hydrogen-powered Corolla) suffered a fire during a tet run and withdrew from the opening of the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Powered by Hankook Round 1 Suzuka. (Earlier post.) Now, Toyota says that with the Super Taikyu season kicking off at Suzuka... Read more →

Singapore—based Berge Bulk, one of the world’s leading independent dry bulk shipping companies, and ABS signed a joint project agreement to conduct a detailed feasibility study for the conversion of methanol-fueled propulsion system and aim to kickstart in Q1 2024. The two companies will collaborate on a broad range of... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions’ MAN 175D engine is formally approved for operation on biofuels, effective immediately. This applies to all standard biofuels such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) fuels up to a content of 100%. The engine itself does not require any technical adjustments, following... Read more →

At a ceremony in South Korea in March, HHI-EMD—a MAN Energy Solutions two-stroke licensee—marked the manufacture of the world’s largest methanol-powered two-stroke engine, a MAN B&W; G95ME-LGIM type. Simultaneously, the engine’s manufacture pushed the company past the 200 million brake-horsepower milestone for low-speed, two-stroke engines. With its 95 cm cylinder... Read more →

Svitzer, a leading global marine operations and towage operator, and Caterpillar Marine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to adopt solutions that enable Svitzer to utilize methanol in their fleet. The implementation of dual-fuel methanol engines focuses on new tugs as well as conversions of existing Cat-powered tugs, which comprise... Read more →

A team at Beijing University of Technology has evaluated four load control strategies—throttle, ammonia-hydrogen ratio, air–fuel ratio, and variable valve timing—for an ammonia-hydrogen dual fuel Miller cycle spark ignition engine in a hybrid system. A paper on their work appears in the journal Fuel. The engine—a Miller cycle engine with... Read more →

Image of Stellantis logo While committed to 100% battery electric passenger car sales in Europe by 2030, Stellantis is testing the usability of eFuels on European vehicles produced since 2014 (Euro 6) to reinforce carbon emission reductions 28 engine families are being tested to make them eFuels friendly, which can... Read more →

At this year’s demopark open-air exhibition, Mercedes-Benz is presenting a prototype of the Unimog based on the U 430 with hydrogen-powered combustion engine as part of the publicly funded “WaVe” project. The project, funded by Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, is being implemented jointly by 18... Read more →