Numerous engines are trying to replace pure electric vehicles – what’s the use?

Author: Dugan Flanakin

There are a number of new car engines that the creators hope to capture in the commercial market in the near future. These engine designs run on methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen and (surprise?) lithium. Another company has a motor shaped like a donut that runs inside a wheel.

hydrogen

The Indian state of Kerala is pioneering the use of “green” hydrogen in transportation. The Kerala Green Hydrogen Valley initiative, initiated by the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ALERT), is creating a complete hydrogen value chain to demonstrate how hydrogen can reduce emissions across industries.

Kerala wants to replace diesel trucks with hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty trucks rather than battery-electric ones as they can travel long distances without sacrificing load-carrying capacity. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is focusing on hydrogen buses. Kochi Water Metro plans to integrate hydrogen ships into its comprehensive transportation system.

Despite these ambitious plans, India still needs hydrogen refueling infrastructure, with the cost of each hydrogen refueling station estimated at $2 million, much higher than the cost of installing electric vehicle charging stations. Heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell systems also need improvements.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently boasted that a hydrogen-powered truck could travel more than 1,800 miles on a single fill-up of hydrogen fuel. The truck – H2Rescue – is a prototype developed by the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with the U.S. Army, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Naval Research Laboratory and Cummins Accelera. It's unclear when or even if the experimental truck will enter actual service.

Powered by a Cummins Accelera hydrogen fuel cell engine and a 250-kilowatt traction motor, the truck is designed for use in emergency response, military and utility scenarios. The truck initially contained 386 pounds of hydrogen in its tanks and was traveling on California roads at speeds of 50 to 55 miles per hour during rush hour traffic.

Methanol

German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions is developing a new dual-fuel methanol engine for the maritime industry. The MAN 175 DF-M is expected to be converted to its successful MAN 175D high-speed engine by the end of 2026.

MAN's dual-fuel engines are available in 12, 16 and 20-cylinder configurations, each with a 175 mm bore, for mechanical or electric propulsion and on-board power generation, with power ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 rpm. The engine is optimized for ferries, offshore supply vessels, tugs and other work vessels. Customized versions are available for superyachts and other marine applications.

The dual-fuel engine has received “Fuel Ready” certification from Det Norske Veritas, a global risk management and quality assurance organization headquartered in Norway. DNV certification confirms that the engine uses dual-fuel methanol technology and is optimized for diesel-electric and diesel mechanical propulsion.

nitrogen

Dillman Engine Company has been developing and researching liquid nitrogen engine solutions for more than a decade. Beginning in 2014, DEC launched a project in collaboration with Ricardo, E4tech, MIRA and leading UK academic and research institutions to develop a zero-emission piston engine powered by liquid nitrogen and exhausting cold air.

DEC said the advantages of liquid nitrogen include simplicity of design and low production costs because it leverages much of the existing powertrain supply chain. The engine requires minimal maintenance and does not lose capacity over its service life.

DEC claims that the energy-providing capacity of nitrogen engines is 700 times that of hydrogen. Hydrogen engines use either combustion or electrochemical reactions, both of which must overcome energy density and storage issues. But pressurized nitrogen drives the turbine directly, with minimal energy loss.

Nitrogen engines produce zero exhaust emissions, low overall greenhouse gas emissions, and fast refueling times that are comparable to gasoline or diesel engines. The engine can utilize waste heat in the coolant circuit and integrate with other waste heat recovery systems; it can also provide propulsion power and cooling.

DEC says the technology is highly relevant to industrial applications, mining, inland waterway applications and the built environment. The only exhaust is cold air, conducted through the vaporization and expansion of the cryogenic fluid. Ambient or low-grade waste heat is used as energy source, and refrigerant provides the working fluid and heat sink.

lithium

German researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau have unveiled a prototype quantum engine powered by lithium. The engine generates energy by manipulating the quantum state of lithium atoms.

The university's findings highlight the engine's potential to redefine energy production, opening the door to innovations such as ultra-efficient quantum batteries that last longer and charge faster. This technology is expected to be used in fields other than engines, and may reshape the way energy is produced and consumed in various industries.

For the engine to run efficiently, lithium atoms must be kept at temperatures close to absolute zero to minimize thermal interference and ensure precise control of the quantum state. The magnetic field moves the atoms between the two quantum states of the lithium atom: fermions and bosons. This is a critical step in the energy conversion process.

Researchers have found innovative ways to control the quantum states of fermions and bosons. Fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state at the same time, but bosons can share the same state. The research found a way to switch between these states to optimize engine performance, but so far the prototype has only achieved an efficiency of 25%, lower than that of a conventional heat engine.

donut motor

Motor manufacturer Donut Lab has designed a donut-shaped in-wheel motor to power electric vehicles. The new motor has a large hole in the middle that fits perfectly into the wheel.

The donut motor is housed in 21-inch hoops and delivers up to 845 horsepower and 3,171 pound-feet of torque while weighing just 88 pounds. This eliminates driveline components, half-shifts and other components, further reducing overall weight. Since there is no engine installed in the body, there is extra space for increased seating area and cargo capacity.

Donut Lab claims its motors cost 50% less to build, but hub motors make the wheels heavier than traditional wheels. This means they add unsprung mass (the weight underneath the suspension), which can have a negative impact on handling and braking.

The company is also developing a donut motor for semi-trucks that would deliver 200 kilowatts of power and 2,212 pound-feet of torque per wheel. The technology is already used in some e-bikes developed by Donut Lab parent company Verge Motorcycles.

BMW has also developed its own in-wheel electric motors in partnership with Munich technology company DeepDrive. The BMW wheel hub motor, currently in the testing stage, uses a unique dual-rotor design.

This sampling only scratches the surface of emerging automotive technologies around the world, but all of these reports were released within a two-week period towards the end of 2024.

Dugan Flanakin is a senior policy analyst at the Council for a Constructive Tomorrow and writes on a variety of public policy issues.

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and provided via RealClearWire.

Relevant