With partial U.S. Department of Energy backing, Caterpillar Inc. has launched a three-year project to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution built on its new C13D engine platform. The company aims to prove how advanced control systems and electric-hybrid components can help hydrogen fueled engines meet or exceed traditional diesel engines’ power density and transient performance.
Caterpillar will serve as the prime contractor on the project, hosting engine research and development plus system integration at its Chillicothe, Ill. and San Antonio, Texas plants. Other industry and academic collaborators will be brought into the program to provide additional specialist expertise. Federal support is through the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The hydrogen-hybrid engine solutions project is among 45 across 18 states and Washington, D.C. receiving funding to advance research, development, demonstration, and deployment in several areas critical to reducing on-, on/off- and off-highway transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions.
The hydrogen-hybrid power demonstration project is the latest in a series of initiatives that builds upon Caterpillar’s 35 years of enterprise experience in hydrogen fuels. “Every off-highway application has its own unique duty cycles, lifecycle demands and performance expectations, and this complexity is driving the development of a wide range of power solutions for the energy transition,” says Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems Senior Vice President Steve Ferguson. “One size does not fit all, which is why we’ve engineered flexibility into the C13D engine to serve as our platform of the future.”