Caterpillar launched a three-year program to demonstrate a hydrogen hybrid power solution built on its new Cat C13D engine platform.
Starting in the first quarter of 2024, Cat plans to develop a transient-capable system for off-highway applications. Cat intends to demonstrate how state-of-the-art control systems and electric-hybrid components can help hydrogen-fueled engines meet or exceed the power density and transient performance of traditional diesel engines.
According to Cat, it will serve as the prime contractor on the project, providing engine research and development and system integration. As the project progresses, other industry and academic collaborators will be brought into the program to provide additional specialist expertise.
The initiative will be delivered at Cat facilities in San Antonio and Chillicothe, Illinois.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, through the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, is supporting and partially funding the project, according to Cat. The project is one of 45 across 18 states and Washington, D.C., to receive funding to advance research, development, demonstration and deployment in several areas related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.
“Every off-highway application has its own unique duty cycles, life cycle demands and performance expectations, and this complexity is driving the development of a wide range of power solutions for the energy transition,” says Steve Ferguson, senior vice president at Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems. “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.”
Cat unveiled diesel-powered versions of the C13D engine at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023. As Cat describes, the inline, six-cylinder C13D enables the use of renewable liquid fuels such as 100 percent HVO and B100 distilled biodiesel.
In addition to using hydrogen, Cat says the engine’s core architecture is designed for the future development of spark-ignited natural gas capabilities.
The C13D engine is targeted for off-highway equipment such as rock crushers and screens – plus material handling equipment and large industrial pumps.
