Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, July 30, 2024:
Hydrogen ‘ICE’ engines’ potential detailed with deep dive in recent forum
A recent webinar hosted by the Engine Technology Forum took a deep dive into what hydrogen internal combustion engines are and how they can be used.
H2-ICE engines look and run like diesel engines, only take minutes to refuel and have markedly lower emissions, reported Overdrive sister publication Truck, Parts, Service’s Beth Colvin.
The recent online event was accompanied by release of a paper titled “Opportunities for Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engines H2-ICE.” (Paper is free to download at the link.)
While battery-electric is getting a lot of shine today, webinar speakers made clear it won’t be the only solution to cutting emissions. Jim Nebergall, executive director of Cummins’ Engine Business Unit market strategy, said the company may actually be producing hydrogen ICE engines as early as 2028.
What makes the fuel and tech so attractive for trucking is its similarities to diesel engines. Nebergall said it’s carbon-zero from well to wheel, and end users like it because it’s most like the diesel engines they know. It’s also easy to service, with very little training and no special tools needed.
“We know how to make engines run on this fuel,” Nebergall said. Plus, said Dimitri Konson, vice president of engineering for Tenneco Clean Air, it’s reliable and, most importantly, clean.
Hydrogen ICE engines meet the 2027 emissions regulations in the U.S. and, in Europe, could even receive a zero-emission vehicle certification. Like diesel trucks, much depends on the aftertreatment.
[Related: ‘Not gonna be a guinea pig’: Owners wary of maintenance unknowns with EPA 2027]
Emissions-reduction equipment on an H2-ICE truck would work similarly to that in a diesel truck, with a notable difference. There’s no carbon in hydrogen fuel, meaning there are no hydrocarbons, no carbon dioxide and no soot particulate emissions. There’s also lower oxides of nitrogen (NOx) than in diesel exhaust. This means, the report concludes, aftertreatment systems can be a good deal more simple than those in diesel trucks.
Like other clean fuel technologies, the biggest challenge to H2-ICE is a lack of fueling infrastructure.
There is investment in the pipeline to fix that problem, the white paper noted, and more than $300 billion has been invested in low-emission hydrogen production, including renewable forms of the fuel.
Cummins noted it’s also working toward battery-electric and fuel-cell-electric vehicles, because each powertrain has its own applications. Reducing emissions substantially across transportation will “not be one single solution,” Nebergall stressed.
Konson broke it down: Battery-electric vehicles are good for moderate power and range, especially in an urban environment, and for applications that allow the truck to stop for long periods to charge, he said. Fuel cell electric vehicles are preferred for long-distance vehicles with medium power requirements, such as coaches. Hydrogen ICE works well in high-power applications, including off-road vehicles and long-haul trucking.
[Related: EPA 2027 diesel emissions regs: Class 8 truck price hikes in the offing]
Used truck prices tumbled in June
Used Class 8 truck prices took a big hit in June, falling 7.6% from May and 20% from June 2023, according to the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks report by ACT Research.
The average retail price for used Class 8 trucks in June was $54,300, ACT said.
“We signaled the price drop last month, based on the fact that freight growth remains somewhat elusive,” said Steve Tam, Vice President at ACT Research. “Prices are expected to remain stable at this lower level through 2024, now transitioning to y/y growth in early 2025.”
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Tam added that same dealer retail sales also fell for a fourth consecutive month in June. “The 16% drop was counter to the five-percentage-point seasonal gain indicated by history,” he noted. “June is typically about as average a month as can be.”
On the other hand, wholesale sales were up 3.6% from May, “and in normal last-month-of-the-quarter fashion, auction sales swelled 42% m/m,” Tam added. “Combined, the total market same dealer sales volume rose 13% m/m in June.”
Love’s reopens New Mexico location
Love’s Travel Stops last week reopened its Las Cruces, New Mexico, location after it was rebuilt from the ground up.
The location offers 84 truck parking spaces, Subway and Wendy’s restaurants, nine diesel lanes, seven showers and more.
It’s located along I-10 at Exit 132 in Las Cruces.
Driver named Highway Angel for assisting fellow driver after rollover
Tucson, Arizona-based Rudy Castellanos, a truck driver for Hi Pro Inc., has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for rescuing a fellow truck driver after his truck overturned.
Rudy CastellanosTCA
“There was a big noise,” Castellanos said, “and the truck just laid down on its right side.”
Castellanos quickly parked his truck and rushed to assist, helping the driver from the debris. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, although the driver sustained several lacerations to the head. Castellanos called 911, made sure the driver was safe and went on his way.
“I was the only one who stopped,” Castellanos said. “I called 911 from my phone, and then I told him I had to leave to get back to work.”