Caterpillar has launched a three-year program to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution built on its new Cat C13D engine platform.
Starting early next year, Caterpillar will develop a transient-capable system for off-highway applications. The project will demonstrate how control systems and electric-hybrid components can help hydrogen-fueled engines meet or exceed the power density and performance delivered by traditional diesel engines.
Cat will serve as the prime contractor on the hydrogen hybrid project, providing engine research and development as well as system integration.
As the project progresses, other industry and academic collaborators will be brought into the program to provide additional specialist expertise. The initiative will be delivered at Caterpillar facilities in Chillicothe, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas.
“Every off-highway application has its own unique duty cycles, lifecycle demands and performance expectations, and this complexity is driving the development of a wide range of power solutions for the energy transition,” said Steve Ferguson, Senior Vice President of Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems.
“One size does not fit all, which is why we’ve engineered flexibility into the C13D engine to serve as our platform of the future.”
The project is supported and partially funded by the United States Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
The hydrogen hybrid project is included among 45 projects across 18 states and Washington, D.C., receiving funding to advance research, development, demonstration and deployment in several areas critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.
The Cat C13D engine
Caterpillar’s hydrogen-hybrid demonstration project leverages the performance, packaging and fuel flexibility engineered into the new 13-litre Cat C13D engine platform.
Introduced at ConExpo 2023, diesel-powered versions of the Cat C13D engine offer eight power ratings from 456 to 690 hp with up to 3,200 Nm of peak torque. It provides up to a 20 per cent increase in power and up to 25 per cent more low-speed torque over the previous generation of Cat diesel engines in its power class.
The inline, six-cylinder Cat C13D enables the use of renewable liquid fuels such as 100 per cent HVO, B100 Distilled Biodiesel, and even up to B100 Standard Biodiesel. In addition to using hydrogen, its core architecture is designed for the future development of spark-ignited natural-gas capabilities.
Available for early OEM pilots in 2025 and scheduled for production in 2026, the Cat C13D engine is targeted for a wide range of off-highway equipment, including rock crushers, screeners and grinders, as well as trenchers, agriculture tractors, harvesters, self-propelled sprayers and woodchippers, material-handling equipment, and large industrial pumps.
