Whether or not COP28 in Dubai commits to phasing out fossil fuels in the future, the off-road mobile plant market already faces an almost bewildering range of alternative engine types and power sources. These include biodiesel (HVO), propane (LPG), natural gas, hybrid electric, full battery power with opportunity charging, fast-charging or (lead-acid) ‘overnight’ charging, hydrogen fuel cells for onboard battery charging and hydrogen combustion.

Green methanol and ammonia are ‘in the frame’ as bunker fuels of the future and methanol is also touted as an alternative fuel for trucks and off-road mobile plant. Ammonia is much easier than hydrogen to transport and store and is more hydrogen-dense than hydrogen itself, but it is highly corrosive and toxic and so not suitable as a general transportation fuel as safety of handling could never be guaranteed. Therefore, in terms of transportation, ammonia is  likely to be confined to professional bunker stations and other tightly regulated, large-scale applications.

Dual approach

Hydrogen is considered a viable fuel for internal combustion engines (ice) in the future, but for the time being price and availability limit its use to dual fuel solutions (for example, CMB.TECH dual fuel straddle carrier trials at PSA Antwerp). It is also seen as a competitive alternative to the use of hydrogen fuel cells charging batteries, a solution which is also in its ‘infancy’ in transport applications.

CMB.TECH believes strongly in hydrogen combustion. It has teamed up with DBR to develop dual fuel gensets for marine applications. It has built hydrotug for the Port of AntwerpBruges, claimed to be the first dual fuel tug worldwide, and has teamed up with Broekmans to develop hydrogen-ready dual fuel 5,000dwt general cargo vessels. It also has a partnership with Volvo Penta to develop pilot dual fuel ro-ro tractors, for Stockholms Hamnar AB and the port of Felixstowe.

CMB.TECH and Volvo Penta combined to produce the world’s first dualfuel ferry, hydrobingo, an 80-passenger capacity catamaran operating in Japanese domestic waters. It is fitted with two dual fuel Volvo Penta D13 engines and is equipped with a hydrogen trailer at the stern that can deliver hydrogen to the engine through a double-walled pipeline. The hydrogen is stored in a tank that can be loaded and unloaded using a ramp, enabling simple transportation to and from fuel stations.

First principles

The principle is essentially the same for all dual fuel H2 engines, says CMB.TECH. Hydrogen is injected into the aspirate air during the air intake and then mixes into the diesel to provide a homogenous fuel during the compression stroke. A small amount of pilot diesel fuel is injected into the combustion chamber just before ‘top dead centre’.

The diesel is self-igniting due to the high temperature and pressure and cocombusts with all the hydrogen, forcing the piston down during the power stroke. The cylinder is cleaned during the exhaust stroke. Due to the co-combustion, NOx and CO2 emissions are much lower.

In CMB.TECH’s dual fuel straddle carrier pilot in Antwerp, the hydrogen replaces up to 70% of the diesel fuel burn, so 2kg of H2 replaces more than 7l of diesel. The onboard limiting factor is the weight and ‘space take’ of the hydrogen tanks. The machine is supplied with 6 x 5kg pressurised tanks, the equivalent of more than 350l of diesel. A diesel-electric  straddle carrier in full mission operations typically consumes 18l of fuel per hour, so the dual fuel machine should provide more than 19 hours of autonomy before the hydrogen tanks need to be refilled. Refuelling takes 15-20 minutes.

CMB.TECH had already built a hydrogen refuelling station in the port of Antwerp. This is very expensive to build and secure and most ports want access to two diesel fuelling stations to provide redundancy. Green H2 is not yet  available at affordable prices and the infrastructure to transport and store it (including using ammonia as a vector) is also nascent.

The dual fuel carrier was built with a 1,500l diesel fuel tank. To provide that degree of autonomy with 100% hydrogen fuel would require 420kg of onboard storage, which is not feasible due to price, availability and the space and weight issues mentioned above.

JCB has claimed a “major breakthrough” in proving the wider appeal of hydrogen combustion by installing one of its hydrogen engines into a 7.5t Mercedes truck. The engine is the same as that already powering JCB’s prototype construction and agricultural machines. The Mercedes truck was formerly diesel powered.

The prototype engine was shown at Conexpo-Con/Agg International Construction Show held in Las Vegas earlier this year. Like CMB.TECH, JCB takes the view that it is not the engine that pollutes, but the fossil fuel. Why throw out the baby with the bath water?

Difficult tasks

As far as is known, no one is working on dual fuel heavy counterbalanced lift trucks. In this case, it might be feasible to locate the tanks at the rear of the machine, where their weight could form part of the counterweight system. However, there are problems with this as the driver’s view over the back of the machine is a top safety concern.

The dual fuel ro-ro tractor also looks to be a very difficult application because space for the tanks is very limited. It is hard to envisage where they could be placed without potentially destabilising the tractor when it is pulling heavy imposed fifth wheel loads up a ship’s ramp.

Skin in the game

Industrial engine makers, such as Volvo Group and Scania, have a double stake in the game as they are also significant heavy vehicle builders (trucks, buses, forestry trucks, construction/EM, and so forth), and they are investing heavily in different technologies.

According to Scania, the “days of the fossil-fuelled vehicle are numbered”. It has adopted science-based targets to shift to electric. “By 2030, more than half  of our new vehicle sales are expected to come from electrically powered vehicles,” the company said.

Most of Scania’s engine production goes into its trucks and buses and this is the main area for the company’s EV solutions. Within the Traton Group, Scania and MAN are cooperating with competitors Volvo and Daimler Truck to install and operate public charging networks for longhaul trucks and coaches across Europe.

In due course, Scania’s technology will spin over into the company’s industrial engine line-up based on 9-, 11- and 13l capacity platforms, which are fully compatible with HVO. An electrically powered marine engine is already commercially available.

Volvo Penta has set its sights on delivering ‘customer-centric productivity solutions’ for all off-road customers through advanced vehicle control systems. The company says it is focusing on robust platforms on which flexible, up-to-date, and cohesive features and interfaces can co-exist and scale seamlessly. It aims to transform challenges in the off-highway segment into new opportunities by co-developing smarter solutions with OEMs, operators and fleet managers.

“We aim to offer OEMs a sophisticated and high-performing system on which future solutions can be collaboratively built to fill any voids in their existing systems,” said Hannes Norrgren, President, Volvo Penta Industrial. The company is working with CPAC Systems, its subsidiary company, a leading provider of vehicle electronics and productivity solutions, to transform ideas into actionable initiatives.

E-drive tractors

Two ‘flagship’ products with electric drivelines from Volvo Penta are the Rosenbauer fire truck and the TICO ProSpotter Electric terminal tractor. The latter is designed with 132 kW of  onboard energy. The battery packs are mounted inside the frame rails to maximise protection and ensure easy ‘changeout’ for multiple life cycles.

The three-phase permanent magnet motor acts directly on the two-speed gearbox, which allows for the full range of speed and torque available with ice machines. Volvo’s active thermal management system monitors and manages battery temperature to allow the tractor to perform in all weather conditions. The batteries are designed for opportunity-charging and full charging is said to take 40-45 minutes at 150 kW DC fast-charge, using the industry standard CCS1 connector.

Following a series of trials and pilots, TICO announced in March this year that it was starting full commercial production of the TICO ProSpotter Electric. The first orders had already been received as part of a pre-series run and the first ‘retail’ delivery (that is to a third party user of TICO yard tractors; not TICO’s own fleet for its contracted operations) was due in May this year.

“As a pioneer in the industry for alternative fuels and sustainable solutions, TICO is committed to providing cutting-edge technology to our customer partners while remaining focused on superior equipment and elite support. Fleet sustainability is a growing priority that TICO is tackling head-on,” said Mallery Pindar, director of Sales, Marketing, and Commercial Development for TICO.

TE3 coming

Kalmar Ottawa’s latest electric terminal tractor offering is the TE2+. This includes an active thermal management system for operations in all weathers and a DC Fast Charge system to cut charging times. In addition, the complexity of the driveline has been simplified by removing the transmission and using a direct drive to power the drive axle. Power packs of 152 kW or 184 kW are available.

The direct drive motors are a feature of Cummins’ PowerDrive TM 8000 system, which Kalmar Ottawa began testing early last year. TICO is also understood to be  testing it. The system also features the newly developed BP30E battery, a fast charge modular battery pack designed specifically for terminal tractor applications. It is arranged in 30 kW increments so the customer can choose installed power based on power requirements and budget.

Kalmar is one of Cummins’ lead off-road customers globally and Cummins stated that it “will offer battery electric terminal tractors globally together with Kalmar”. No details of Kalmar Ottawa’s forthcoming T3E terminal tractors for the global market have been released. However, it is understood they will be powered by up to 182 kW of Cummins batteries and will be equipped with DC fast-charge technology to facilitate intensive operations. 

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This complete item is approximately 1680 words in length, and appeared in the December 2023 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 17. To access this issue download the PDF here