MIT startup says it can turn diesel trucks into cheaper hydrogen haulers — see it at Disrupt
Diesel is expensive and polluting, and LNK Energies says it has come up with a way to replace it with hydrogen, all while undercutting diesel on cost.
Key points
- MIT startup LNK Energies has developed a way to convert heavy-duty diesel trucks to hydrogen power using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs).
- LNK claims a Class 8 truck converted to its system is 13% cheaper to own than diesel, with fuel costing $6.50 per gallon after 50 to 100 trucks are made.
- The company plans to install a larger version of its mini-fridge-sized reactor in a commercial truck within 18 months.
MIT startup LNK Energies says it can convert existing heavy-duty diesel trucks to run on hydrogen, cutting pollution and costs while protecting operators from fuel price spikes. The company, which will present at TechCrunch Disrupt on October 13-15 in San Francisco, has developed a method to carry hydrogen chemically attached to a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC).
LNK's system releases hydrogen on board the truck using a reactor that has been shrunk from the size of a shipping container to that of a mini fridge. The hydrogen can then be burned in a modified conventional internal combustion engine or used in fuel cells to generate electricity.
How the technology works
LOHCs are liquids that absorb and later release hydrogen. While they have been studied mainly for moving hydrogen from refineries to fueling stations, LNK's innovation is a compact reactor that fits on the truck. Because the fuel carries hydrogen in liquid form and releases it as needed, the need to compress hydrogen to over 11,000 psi is eliminated.
The LOHC can be stored in a standard fuel tank and dispensed with pumps, just like diesel. LNK says this means the entire hydrogen infrastructure doesn't need to exist, as the fuel can be used at existing diesel stations.
The entire hydrogen infrastructure doesn’t need to exist. It’s just a standard diesel station.
— Sayandeep Biswas, co-founder and CEO of LNK Energies
Cost and timeline
LNK's chief technology officer, Alexis Huynh, told TechCrunch that the total cost of ownership for a Class 8 truck is 13% cheaper than diesel. The trucks will cost more up front but are expected to be cheaper to operate. The company aims to undercut diesel at $6.50 per gallon after producing just 50 to 100 trucks, without government subsidies.
The startup has a demonstration reactor in the lab that can power a lawnmower engine. Within 18 months, it plans to install a larger version in a commercial truck.
