AUTONEWS

Can Ford's patented V8 hydrogen engine save the traditional V8?

The mere thought that future muscle cars will not have a V8 heart of power fills most fans with dread. Electric powertrains seem like the way forward for everyone, but is there an alternative? While most car manufacturers are fully committed to electricity, there are also inroads into keeping the internal combustion engine running as long as possible. In this case, hydrogen may be the answer.

Ford is currently restructuring to separate its internal combustion and electric programs. Muscle Cars and Trucks recently discovered a US patent for a hydrogen-powered turbo engine created by Ford. In this scenario, the hydrogen will be burned by direct injection in the engine and will provide 15% more power than traditional gasoline.

At this stage of the game, the patent is only for the control and combustion of hydrogen. All internal components and engine design are steps in the future. However, if all goes according to plan, a hydrogen-powered engine can make use of large bore-to-stroke ratios as there is no waste like burnt hydrocarbons. In theory, this means that the average engine could be capable of 20,000 rpm.

Ford isn't the only company hedging its bets with hydrogen technology. Toyota is focusing on developing its own hydrogen engine technologies through motorsport.

These engines will emit zero CO2, burn more efficiently than gasoline, and can be retrofitted to existing ICE engines. For road vehicles, Toyota already has the Mirai available, which is powered by hydrogen. The positives here are 12% more power, a 0-62mph time of 9 seconds, lighter weight than a car full of batteries, and it should have a range of 400 miles.

Ultimately, the Mirai is a test bed, with the technology likely ending up in commercial vehicles. However, Mirai shows that hydrogen is currently a viable option.

BMW, Land Rover and Vauxhall have plans for future hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles of some sort. Then there's the Hyundai Nexo SUV, which is an older design but still shows the viability of hydrogen.

So if hydrogen technology comes to fruition, it could be the future solution to keep all V8s running indefinitely. There is also the big elephant in the resupply times room. A hydrogen powered car can be refueled in 5 minutes. Electric cars take much longer to fully recharge. While this doesn't seem like a problem at the moment, once every car on the road has gone electric, it's not hard to imagine huge, long lines at charging points. Hydrogen-powered cars can offer the same quick fill times we enjoy today.

The other major obstacle to the mainstream adoption of hydrogen energy is the refueling infrastructure. There are simply not enough refueling points currently available to make the technology attractive to everyone. I hope this changes in the future.

But what about muscle car manufacturers? Clearly, Ford is looking into the idea, but there doesn't seem to be any clear public plans from Dodge in the hydrogen department, at least when it comes to muscle cars. Dodge appears to have full focus on an electric muscle car, which may or may not be a version of the Charger or Challenger. However, it looks like Dodge is fully committed to a hydrogen-powered Ram HD pickup truck, which debuts after the introduction of its electric variants, likely later this decade. So don't rule out a day in the future when we'll see a hydrogen-powered Dodge muscle car. It could happen…

Dave Ashton