Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have successfully developed an optimized spark-ignited hydrogen engine suitable for medium-duty commercial vehicles. As a form of internal combustion engine (ICE), the new engine behaves much more like a diesel engine than earlier hydrogen engines. Diesel-like torque hydrogen engine “We began at the single-cylinder level, focusing on optimizing combustion and injection strategies,” Lu said. Also, hydrogen combustion can still produce nitrogen oxides, or NOx, because combustion heats nitrogen and oxygen from the air to very high temperatures. “SwRI’s hydrogen combustion engine program is working every day to advance this technology and showcase its potential as a near-zero carbon emissions industry solution,” he added.