World's First Hydrogen-Diesel Truck on the Road

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April 26, 2004

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The Saskatchewan Research Council unveiled the world's first hydrogen-diesel pickup truck on Wednesday, demonstrating a technology that could help address climate change.

The one-of-a-kind vehicle looks like an ordinary, tan-coloured General Motors pickup with a diesel engine. But the prototype can combine diesel and hydrogen fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Angela Hall Saskatchewan News Network

http://www.canada.com/technology/sto ... 714C996088A

"In a few years we might well see the modifications that we're unveiling today for consumer vehicles around the world," said Premier Lorne Calvert after piloting the pickup on a test drive.

"I believe this is the tip of a tremendous iceberg."

Technology to power a standard vehicle's engine with the dual fuel is being developed and applied by the council, a provincial Crown corporation.

The exact amount that emissions are reduced with the hydrogen-diesel vehicle has yet to be pinpointed, but more hydrogen fuel means less greenhouse gas emissions, said council research engineer Sheldon Hill.

"Most of your emissions are carbon-based emissions, so if you start to displace carbon in the fueling system with hydrogen, you can reduce those emissions."

The prototype can also operate on diesel fuel alone, meaning drivers wouldn't have to rely on hydrogen fueling stations.

Hill couldn't reveal project details -- citing patent applications -- but the truck uses a system where hydrogen is burned in an internal combustion engine.

The prototype differs from a fuel-cell car, which is powered by an electric engine that relies on a chemical reaction caused with hydrogen and oxygen.

"This is an internal combustion engine, and I guess what's most novel and unique is that we're talking about being able to utilize existing vehicles and start to use better fuels," Hill said.

Regular vehicles could be retrofitted with the technology to use the combination of diesel and hydrogen fuel, although at this early stage it would still cost an estimated $4,000 to $6,000.

Hill said more research and development is on the agenda to work on issues such as reducing the cost of the system.

A second prototype that will burn hydrogen and gasoline is on the way. Development of prototypes is being conducted by the council in association with Ecce, a Saskatchewan company, with financial assistance from the federal government's Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance funding program.

"Our private sector partner (Ecce Energy) actually has a mandate to commercialize hydrogen fuel vehicles in the fairly near term, and they believe that this is the key technology that will enable them to do that," Hill said.

"Hopefully, we'll all be pleasantly surprised and this will all take place much sooner that expected."

The project received $463,000 from several sources -- $200,000 from private sector company Ecce Energy, $163,000 from the federal government and $100,000 from the council.

(Regina Leader-Post) © Copyright 2004 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

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