Westport unveils hydrogen fuel system for heavy-duty ICE applications

The H2 HPDI fuel system delivers tank to tailpipe CO2 emissions reductions of up to 98% over diesel, according to the company.

FleetOwner Staff

May 17, 2022

2 min read

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Westport Fuel Systems Inc.'s new hydrogen HPDI fuel system technology enables heavy-duty trucks to operate on biomethane (renewable natural gas) and natural gas with the same power, torque, efficiency, and performance as diesel engines, the company stated recently.

The H2 HPDI fuel system is integrated into a fully functional demo vehicle and was displayed during the 2022 ACT Expo in Long Beach. The H2 HPDI fuel system delivers, tank to tailpipe, up to 98% CO2 reduction over diesel, the company said.

H2 HPDI engine specifications:

Power and torque: 20% higher power and torque than the base diesel engine
Efficiency: 5%-10% better thermal efficiency than the base diesel engine
Turbocharged 13-liter inline six-cylinder engine
Fuel: Hydrogen, with pilot ignition
Four-cycle, compression ignition, direct injection

“We believe H2 HPDI is compelling, with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions at a lower cost than fuel-cell vehicles or battery-electric vehicles, particularly for heavy-duty, long-haul trucking,” said David Johnson, CEO of Westport Fuel Systems. “We have developed the engine to utilize the capability of HPDI to deliver what is needed today in the marketplace, using hydrogen in place of natural gas, with development work happening at Westport Fuel Systems facilities, and through previously announced programs with AVL/TUPY, and Scania. And we expect new H2 HPDI programs with other partners to come soon.”

The HPDI fuel system technology uses compression ignition combustion with the overwhelming majority of the energy derived from the combustion of, typically, a gaseous fuel. Combustion is initiated via late cycle direct injection of a small quantity of pilot fuel, followed by direct injection of the primary gaseous fuel; both fuels are injected via a proprietary dual concentric needle injector design. By utilizing diesel-cycle thermodynamics, the HPDI fuel system retains the thermal efficiency, power, torque, and engine braking of the base diesel internal combustion engine, the company stated.

Check out the following video of Westport Fuel Systems’ HPDI 2.0 natural gas versus hydrogen test: