The Ford Motor Co. is now building dedicated hydrogen fueled V-10 engines to augment the power plant offerings for its light and medium-duty truck products. The first hydrogen V-10 is earmarked for the company’s E-450 chassis.
“This engine represents a significant milestone in our research efforts in hydrogen technology,” said Gerhard Schmidt, Ford’s vp of research and advanced engineering. “We have learned a great deal about hydrogen powered internal combustion engines during the development phase of this engine.”
Schmidt said the first demonstration vehicles for Ford’s supercharged 6.8-liter V-10 engine will be E-450 hydrogen-fueled shuttle buses, scheduled for delivery to fleet customers later this year starting in Florida and then in other locations across North America.
He said the advantages of hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines include:
- high efficiency
- all-weather capability
- near zero emissions of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide)
- easily hybridized for further gains in fuel efficiency
