A legendary EVs manufacturer has switched to hydrogen with a massive engine. If the first zero-emission combustion engine managed to surprise you, you will be left speechless by this revolutionary piece. There is always talk of sustainable mobility in the future, but what if it is closer than we think? Fossil fuels will soon run their course and several companies are already flirting with the idea of replacing them with electricity or hydrogen.
Traffic congestion, excessive energy use, air pollution and how these factors impact human health have led the world to seek new alternatives for mobility. When we talk about sustainable mobility, we are referring to all types of travel that aim to reduce the harmful effects on the environment along the entire route.
This includes both private and public vehicles, whether for passenger or freight transport, on urban or other roads. A legendary electric vehicle manufacturer is now contemplating a switch to hydrogen with a massive engine. It could be the ultimate step towards touching the “sustainable sky” with its hands.
Legendary manufacturer surprises with massive engine: farewell to electric cars
A Norwegian company’s engines run on a combination of natural gas and hydrogen, with the aim of creating a fully sustainable engine that runs only on hydrogen by the end of 2024. Norway is a paradise for those who appreciate the value of electric cars. Driving through its streets with a vehicle emitting smoke from the tailpipe is a rare occurrence. Despite the fact that much of the country’s wealth comes from its oil reserves, Norway is very advanced in electrification.
Some see it as a precedent for what will later be replicated around the world. Among the competent companies in the sector, we find Bergen Energies, a Norwegian company that seems to have the future in mind, but with a mobility that does not have to do precisely with electricity, at least this time. It manufactures engines for both land and marine vehicles. In its combustion engines, the high-pressure gas is injected directly into the cylinder, unlike other vehicles in which it is placed in the combustion pre-chamber.
This detail avoids the loss of power and efficiency that could occur. These engines, being combustion engines, produce waste gases, but do not require the use of catalytic converters to control emissions, since they do not have a greenhouse effect. This scenario takes into account the fact that the engine must be very robust and that the gas tank requires stronger joints to prevent possible leaks.
Bergen Engines has announced that all of its natural gas parts for land and marine applications can now operate at full capacity with up to a 25% hydrogen blend, marking considerable progress in the development of cleaner energy technologies.
Electric cars are history with the advent of this hydrogen engine.
This increase in the percentage of hydrogen allowed in its engines represents a major advance over the one that, in 2022, already allowed operation with a 15% blend. According to the company, the combination of hydrogen and natural gas in its engines provides significant benefits: reduced emissions, greater efficiency, flexibility in fuel use and a boost towards the long-awaited energy transition.
Bergen Engines is working on a hydrogen-only engine, which would be available later this year. Ultimately, while Norway has long been a country known for its commitment to electric cars, this mammoth engine could be its new talking point. While its scope is being defined, the world is keeping a close eye on this other engine that runs on hydrogen, ammonia and alcohol.
