HWR Hydrogen introduced the first hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel truck in the Southern Hemisphere. Now with multiple truck and trailer units operating throughout the country, our system has just launched on New Zealand's first milk collection tanker offering an innovative and sustainable solution for transportation. The dual-fuel system injects hydrogen into the existing diesel combustion engine, enabling the truck to run without compromising existing operations, routes, distances, or payload, while reducing carbon emissions by up to 40%.
Dual Fuel Innovation
HWR is leading the heavy transport industry’s transition to hydrogen through dual-fuel, where trucks run on both hydrogen and an existing fuel source.
The dual-fuel system involves retrofitting the hydrogen system to an existing diesel combustion engine. The hydrogen used to fuel the truck is stored as a gas in tanks on a frame behind the cab of the truck. The tanks can hold 5kg of hydrogen each, and most truck configurations will hold 5 tanks (equating to 25kg of hydrogen). The additional weight added to the truck from the conversion utilises spare tare weight if available and aims to optimise payload where possible.
Hydrogen is injected during the engine’s intake stroke and mixed to be uniform and homogeneous during the compression stroke. Diesel is used as the pilot fuel, and the diesel auto-ignites and co-combusts with the hydrogen, forcing the piston down during the power stroke. The control system for the truck ensures the energy requirement to the engine remains the same whether fuel is coming from hydrogen and diesel, or just diesel. Trucks fitted with HWR Hydrogen’s dual-fuel system will reduce up to 40% of carbon emissions in dual-fuel mode without compromising existing operations, routes, distances, or payload.
The entire hydrogen system has been built with safety as the
priority. The system, tanks, and frame have been designed and modelled to meet
stringent European hydrogen standards. It is designed with fail-safe sensors
and shut offs that operate electronically and mechanically, meaning there are
three layers of protection.
Dual Fuel Fleet
HWR Hydrogen have a fleet of dual fuel trucks on the road to test the performance and efficiency of dual-fuel of the technology.
“Blue Hydro” in the Dynes fleet, was the first of these. The trial will confirm the displacement values for hydrogen over diesel, the effectiveness on New Zealand roads, and the ability to perform with our payloads. To fuel the trucks, we are commissioning a hydrogen station in Southland.
Preliminary results suggest dual-fuel is a solid option that
works. Since our initial tests and having Blue Hydro on the road, there has not
been any drop in power or significant downsides. Additional dual-fuel trucks
will be inserted across HWR’s companies to test their performance across
different driving and load disciplines.
A significant benefit of the dual-fuel truck is that while the hydrogen infrastructure is being developed in New Zealand, our dual-fuel trucks can operate on 100% diesel when there is no hydrogen available. We believe these trucks are the key intermediary step to the 100% hydrogen vehicles which are being developed throughout the world. Without this step New Zealand will not have the infrastructure to move to full hydrogen vehicles when they become available. As dual-fuel trucks go through their lifetime, they will eventually end up in the fleets of smaller operators who would otherwise be blocked from the hydrogen network through prohibitive cost. As the industry moves towards hydrogen as its fuel source, dual fuel trucks will mean the entire industry – down to small businesses – will be on the sustainability journey.
“We see that it’s our responsibility to drive change. We don’t shy away from change. We lead it.”
- Anthony Jones, HWR Group CEO
Our partners
We’re proud to partner with the following game-changing companies as we work towards a carbon-neutral future.
