In December, FAW Jiefang began production on its first hydrogen engine in Dalian, Liaoning Province, marking a key step for it in the field of green intelligent transportation.
The project is expected to have a total investment of US$84.41 million (614 million yuan), building medium-sized engines ranging from 5 to 7 liters, heavy-duty hydrogen engines, and production lines. The CA6HV3 production line is the world’s first hydrogen engine production line; it will help FAW Jiefang build a more complete powertrain product line. It is reported that the CA6HV3 hydrogen engine, independently developed by FAW Jiefang, is the first domestic heavy-duty commercial vehicle direct-injection hydrogen engine in China. It leads the country in thermal efficiency and product reliability and achieves zero carbon emissions.
The construction of the factory, which began in July 2022, has a total investment of 620 million yuan and has an annual production capacity of 50,000 engines. It integrates three core characteristics of super technology, super efficiency, and super intelligence, reaching the industry’s smart manufacturing highest level – Integrated Level 3 standard. Currently, the core production of the globally debuting green intelligent power domain 6DV engine has an industry-leading mass production thermal efficiency, a strong power of 640Ps, a super torque of 3000Nm, and an ultra-long life of two million kilometers with an ultra-long maintenance cycle, all leading the industry. It is reported that FAW Jiefang will subsequently accelerate the factory upgrade to meet the production needs of 15L natural gas engines, 15L hydrogen engines, 14.5L diesel engines, and 5-7L new medium-sized engines.
Source: China Daily Read The Article
PSR Analysis. The global sales of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks are expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 50%, with the Chinese market size accounting for 35% of the global market. Hydrogen fuel cell trucks are seeing gradual improvements in range, hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and the manufacturing level of fuel cell systems and their core components. However, further technological breakthroughs in fuel cell technology are still needed, such as increasing the power density of fuel cells, reducing the cost of catalysts, and extending battery life, to enhance the performance and reliability of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks.
Infrastructure Insufficiency: The number of hydrogen refueling stations is still relatively small, and their distribution is not widespread enough, limiting the operational range of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks. The construction of refueling stations requires high investment and complex approval procedures, which also restricts the rapid popularization of refueling stations.
Cost Issues: Although the usage costs are gradually decreasing, the purchase cost of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks is still high at present, including the high prices of key components such as fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage tanks, affecting their market promotion and large-scale application. PSR
Jack Hao is Senior Research Manager – China for Power Systems Research
