Ford is working on a hydrogen combustion engine
Ford has applied for a US patent for a hydrogen combustion engine power system that will keep piston engines running as we move towards a brighter, greener future.
Ford can already be called one of the key players in the global electric car market today: Blue Oval is the first of the American “big three” to launch an electric pickup truck, and in Europe Ford's attack on the EV segment is in alliance with Volkswagen. But if Volkswagen completely ignores hydrogen cars as an alternative to battery electric trains, then Ford, as it turns out, is working on its own hydrogen internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen is convenient in that it can be used both to generate energy in electrochemical generators on board electric vehicles, and as fuel in conventional reciprocating internal combustion engines. A return to the concept of hydrogen piston internal combustion engines is perhaps the main trend of last year in engine building, which we have already analyzed using the developments of the Belgian Punch Group and Japanese Toyota and Yamaha as an example.
The use of hydrogen as a fuel will allow in the future to preserve the infrastructure for the production of internal combustion engines (and with it jobs) and consumer habits, because refueling a car with hydrogen takes the same time as refueling gasoline, diesel fuel, alcohol or gasoline, that is, several minutes, while a full charge of an electric vehicle can take several hours, especially if it is a large and heavy truck connected to a low power terminal. Hydrogen provides clean exhaust, does not reduce the load capacity of the machine (which is very important for the commercial segment), provides a long range, almost independent of weather conditions.
The news that Ford is preparing its own hydrogen ICE was reported by the American magazine Muscle Cars & Trucks, which found in the patent office database a patent issued by Ford for a hydrogen-piston ICE refueling system, and US Makes Ford suggests using an ultra-lean mixture (better economy, less risk detonation) in combination with direct injection, turbocharging, exhaust gas recirculation and flexible valve timing. The proposed scheme can be applied to an engine of any displacement and number of cylinders, and such engines can also be used as part of hybrid power plants. However, it is not yet known when and whether Ford will be able to launch its development into mass production.
The American media enthusiastically write about hydrogen internal combustion engines, seeing them as an opportunity to preserve the cult of muscle cars in the country with their powerful V8s: hydrogen will provide them with the environmental cleanliness required by the authorities, and the exhaust sound can turn out even brighter than gasoline. The specific power of hydrogen internal combustion engines created from scratch will be higher than that of gasoline ones. In general, there are many pluses and let's hope that the hydrogen Ford Mustang is just around the corner, and the electric one also has the right to exist, it will only bring all sorts of pleasure: the main thing is that the consumer has a Choice.