New Cummins Turbo for Hydrogen ICE Heavy Trucks Could One Day Replace Diesel

Cummins wants the turbo-hydrogen engine to replace the turbodiesel in the trucking industry—at least in Europe. The brand developed a turbocharger called H2 ICE specifically for engines that burn hydrogen instead of diesel, and it claims it already has a buyer lined up to bring the system to production.

The H2 ICE is a variable-geometry turbo, meaning it features a row of vanes that control the exhaust flow. At lower speeds, the vanes close to increase boost pressure. At higher speeds, the vanes open to maximize the flow of exhaust gasses and maintain the required boost pressure. It doesn’t sound like the H2 ICE works any differently than a standard turbo, but it was developed exclusively for hydrogen-burning engines.

Cummins explains that designing a turbo for a hydrogen-powered engine was more difficult than it might sound. It couldn’t take an off-the-shelf part, change a few seals, and call it a good job well done. One issue is that hydrogen and the water vapor emitted when it burns can have an impact on the turbo’s various parts, including the metal components. Cummins adds that hydrogen requires “significantly more airflow” than a fossil fuel like diesel, so the turbo needs to be larger and more complex to provide a suitable amount of boost.

While many brands approach hydrogen technology with a “throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks” mentality, Cummins stresses that its new turbocharger is headed to production. We don’t know when or where yet, but the brand announced that it has secured a contract to supply the part to “a major European OEM” in the coming years. That means there’s a hydrogen-burning semi in a product pipeline somewhere.

The idea of powering a semi with hydrogen isn’t new—Cummins notably unveiled a Peterbilt-based prototype in 2023—but most projects we’ve seen so far feature a fuel cell that uses hydrogen to generate the electricity that zaps the wheels into motion. Hydrogen-powered cars, like the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo, work the same way. The idea of burning hydrogen isn’t new, either: Toyota built (and even raced!) an experimental hydrogen-burning GR Corolla a couple of years ago, and the V12-powered BMW Hydrogen 7 entered limited production in 2005.

It will be interesting to learn more about the model that leverages Cummins’ H2 ICE turbocharger to combine these two technologies. In theory, a hydrogen-burning semi will have roughly the same driving range, refueling time, and, crucially, payload, as a comparable diesel-burning model. And, it will be even more interesting to see if a scaled-down version of the H2 ICE turbo sooner or later makes its way under the hood of a car.

Who wants to start printing “TURBOHYDROGEN” windshield banners?

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