A newly established partnership will see CMB.TECH and Ford Trucks collaborating on the conversion of Ford F-Max trucks to dual-fuel hydrogen trucks at CMB.TECH's dual-fuel workshop in Antwerp, Belgium. With a view to scaling up the concept, the duo’s first converted trucks are scheduled for delivery in 2023.

Drawing on company knowledge, CMB.TECH will be tasked with converting the Ford trucks to run dual-fuel hydrogen systems. Firstly, hydrogen tanks are mounted on the vehicles, in addition to a CMB.TECH-branded injection ring being fitted to the engine alongside a system control unit. Furthermore, due to reliability of Ford’s engine, the conversion can be carried out without any additional changes being made to the diesel powertrain, with only the hydrogen injection ring being added. Hydrogen is then aspirated into the engine’s combustion chamber, meaning less diesel is needed to run the engine.

Once the conversion is complete, CMB.TECH then conducts quality control checks and validation of the dual-fuel hydrogen system and the Ford truck. The conversion is stated to reduce conventional fuel usage and the subsequent emissions. Additionally, as a backup, diesel can be used if hydrogen refueling is not available.

“After 3 years of working together, I am pleased that we can officially announce the collaboration between Ford Trucks and CMB.TECH,” said Roy Campe, CTO, CMB.TECH. “The concept we worked on is simple and has the potential to scale up massively. We can use their trucks which can be modified in three days at any dual fuel workshop. Together with Ford Trucks, we are ready to scale up further throughout Europe by bringing a low-carbon, affordable and robust solution for heavy-duty long-haul road transport.”

“We are proud at Ford Trucks to have started working on mono-fuel hydrogen ICE motors and FCEVs, and we recently revealed the ignition of our hydrogen ICE single-cylinder motor,” explained Burak Hosgoren, international markets western Europe director, Ford Trucks. “In our opinion, this partnership with CMB.TECH on the dual fuel solution will be a crucial reference for our continued work. We anticipate that these advancements will encourage the widespread use of hydrogen ICE motors and FCEVs, resulting in a more sustainable future for all of us by boosting hydrogen demand and promoting the acceleration of hydrogen supply.”