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World’s First 100% Hydrogen Combustion Truck Is Being Made By A UK-Based Company
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A new zero-emission hydrogen-fueled truck has been developed by a team of engineers based out of Liverpool and it will hit the roads soon. The world’s first 100% hydrogen combustion truck is a joint product of a partnership between Innovative UK and hydrogen specialists ULEMCo. Volvo’s FH16 truck, which is pretty popular, has been modified to demonstrate how powerful hydrogen fuel can be when comes to moving heavy cargo loads.
According to the makers, this hydrogen-powered vehicle differs from the others as it is a Mega Low Emission truck (MLE). This means that the vehicles use hydrogen to power a combustion engine rather than fuel cells and a motor.
(Source: Tallbloke’s Talkshop)
Engineers at ULEMCo pointed out that normal hydrogen cars still put out emissions that contain carbon monoxide. They say that the 100% hydrogen combustion truck does not emit these elements through its more conventional engine model.
Using traditional engine and truck designs allows the engineers to bypass the transformation needed for electrification and the time frame to reach zero carbon emissions is reduced. “We are hugely excited about the potential for hydrogen fuel as a route to faster achievement of zero carbon emission in commercial vehicles,” said Amanda Lyne, CEO of ULEMCo. “With this MLE demonstrator, co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, we are showing that 100% hydrogen fuel in combustion engines is a practical and cost-effective option. It sits well alongside the hydrogen dual-fuel conversions that we have already implemented commercially.”
(Source: Interesting Engineering)
ULEMCo has previously converted diesel engines to hydrogen-fueled engines.
But, this is the first time they have created a 100% hydrogen combustion truck. It is all set to have at least 300 horsepower with 17 kg of hydrogen on board and a range of 300 km when unloaded. The company currently wishes to work with large fleet owners looking to replace their current fleets.
It would be preferred if they operate in urban areas.
ULEMCo said in a press release that the initial retrofit plans might include garbage collection trucks and local deliveries.
(Source: SlashGear)
This is a major breakthrough in hydrogen-powered vehicles but there is still a problem and that is the fuel of these vehicles.
These vehicles will struggle to become mainstream and will continue to do so as long as the problem of fueling is not solved.
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References
- ^ Previous PostPrevious (wonderfulengineering.com)
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Krishnapatnam Port's cargo handling up 25% in FY18
HYDERABAD: Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited (KPCL) aims to handle 55 million tonnes of cargo during the current fiscal as against 45 million tonnes last year, a top executive of the port said here today.
The port is expected to handle about seven lakh containers (TEU) in the current year, KPCL Director and CEO, Anil Yendluri[2] said at a press conference.
It handled over 4.81 lakh containers (TUE) last year, he added. “KPCL handled 45 Million Metric Tonne(MMT) of cargo in 2017-18 thus, achieving a 25 per cent growth over 36.10 MMT handled in the previous fiscal,” he said.
The company witnessed a record 88 per cent rise in the number of containers it handled at 4,81,408 TEUs in FY 18 against 2,55,439 TEUs during the previous fiscal, Yendluri said adding total bulk cargo handled by the port stood at 37 MMT. “This year we are looking at looking at 700,000 containers (TUE) through our container terminal and cargo we are looking 55 million tonnes,” he said.
Coal, iron ore and granite dominated the cargo portfolio handled at Krishnapatnam Port.
The port has planned a total investment of USD 3 billion of which USD 1.23 billion (Rs 8,000 crore) has already been invested for development till date with second phase of expansion underway. Once the second phase is completed the overall cargo capacity would go up to 100 million tonnes, he said. The number of vessels visiting the Port rose by 22 per cent to 1,290 vessel calls in 2017-18 as against 1,061 vessels registered during the same period, in FY 17, he added.
Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal, Director, Vinita Venkatesh[3], said the cargo spurt resulted partly from the growth of transshipment volumes at KPCT Indian container ship operators like Shreyas Shipping provided transshipment feeder services from KPCT to Kolkata, Haldia, Vizag and Paradeep.
Further to provide higher cost benefits to importers and exporters the port is offering door-to-door cargo logistics under its new service ‘Ocean2Door[4]‘ and the service will soon offer online cargo bookings too, she said.
Replying to a query, Yendluri said the company is planning to set up a pharma city in 1,000 acres near the port.
References
- ^ cargo (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Anil Yendluri (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Vinita Venkatesh (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Ocean2Door (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
Ministers recommend uniform road tax structure for vehicles across country
Transferring vehicles from one state to another could become hassle free soon, if a recommendation by a group of state transport ministers is accepted by the government. The group of ministers (GoM) constituted by the Union road transport and highways ministry, which met on Friday in Guwahati, has recommended a uniform structure of road tax for vehicles across states, a senior government official said. The GoM is headed by Rajasthan transport minister Yoonus Khan.
The recommendation, if accepted will allow the transfer of vehicles from one state to another without levying road tax. The GoM has also recommended national passenger vehicles permit for passenger cars. “A uniform tax structure will put a check on people registering their vehicles in low tax states and running them in other states.
This would also bring necessary relief to genuine cases requiring transfer of vehicles,” a road ministry spokesperson said. Noting that the Centre has the powers to decide the principles on which the motor vehicles tax can be levied, the GoM recommended that the tax be based on invoice price of the vehicles. It has recommended three slabs, 8 percent tax on vehicles below 10 lakhs, 10 percent for vehicles costing between 10 -20 lakh, and 12 percent for vehicles above 20 lakh.
Diesel vehicles may have to pay 2 percent extra taxes, while electric vehicles will be given a two percent discount. However, implementing the uniform road tax structure won’t be easy as all states will have to come on board. AK Saseendran, the transport minister of Kerala, the only non-BJP ruled state part of the meeting, however, expressed reservations. “There needs to be more clarity,” he said. “One nation, One Tax is a good slogan, but taxation is not something which the transport ministers must be deliberating on,” he said on the sidelines of the meeting adding how Kerala has not had a great experience with the GST.
The two day meeting which concluded on Friday was attended by transport ministers from Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Kerala, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya and Jharkhand. The GoM has also recommended a national bus and taxi permit on lines of such permit for goods transport. “Public transport in the country is growing annually at a rate of just about 2 percent, as against a 20 percent annual growth in private transport.
A national permit will give the much needed fillip to public transport and help reduce road congestion and its attendant problems,” a ministry statement said.
The next meeting of the Goods and Service Council, too, where transport ministers are invited along with the finance minister would help in building consensus on the issue, Khan said in a press conference after the meeting.
Meanwhile, a committee of five secretaries from the states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Rajasthan has been asked to submit a report within 15 days to build further consensus on other charges and fee which vary from state to state.