SwRI’s H2-ICE consortium launches second phase, H2-ICE2
SwRI consortium will focus on enhancing H2-ICE-powered vehicle performance, efficiency
Southwest Research Institute
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As part of its industry-supported H2-ICE consortium, SwRI developed a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicle. The Class-8 H2-ICE vehicle gives the trucking industry an alternative for near-zero CO2 emissions without sacrificing commercial viability and performance. H2-ICE2 will run through December 2026.
view moreCredit: Southwest Research Institute
SAN ANTONIO — March 25, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has launched the newest iteration of its industry-supported Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine consortium, H2-ICE2.
In 2024, SwRI’s H2-ICE consortium completed construction of a Class 8, heavy-duty hydrogen-powered vehicle, following 18 months of targeted development. The demonstration vehicle achieves ultra-low nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions without sacrificing commercial viability. The consortium’s next iteration — “H2-ICE2” — will build on its prior success by enhancing and refining the vehicle’s overall performance and efficiency.
H2-ICE2 gathers transportation industry leaders to advance sustainable mobility through innovative hydrogen engine technology. The consortium will continue to prove the potential for H2-ICE vehicles to complement other zero-emission vehicle technologies while supporting engine and truck manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, and providers of fuels and lubricants with a realistic roadmap to decarbonization.
“We have been developing internal combustion engines for more than 100 years. H2-ICE is a particularly attractive solution because industry can leverage the production lines and component suppliers that are already in place worldwide to manufacture trucks,” said Daniel Stewart, vice president of SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division. “H2-ICE is a viable, zero-emission solution that is available today.”
In 2024, SwRI’s H2-ICE truck toured the country, sharing with the long-haul trucking industry an alternative heavy-duty vehicle option that produces zero greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing performance. After it launches, H2-ICE2 will spend the next two years refining the demonstration vehicle’s overall performance and efficiency with enhanced testing and systems refinement.
“The first H2-ICE consortium focused on developing the hydrogen-fueled engine and showing what you can do with it in terms of performance and emissions,” said Ryan Williams, a manager in SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division. “With H2-ICE2, the team wants to show people that the truck is more than just a showpiece. It’s a functional and practical piece of equipment ready to meet their needs.”
Between now and December 2026, the H2-ICE2 consortium will investigate the vehicle’s capacity to maintain performance, manage heat and sustain efficiency under various real-world conditions.
The consortium will also evaluate vehicle performance during cold starts, continuous ascent, low-demand or no-load operations, and other conditions commercial trucking vehicles experience. SwRI plans to test and improve the vehicle’s performance without developing a new engine or significantly changing the hardware.
“This is very much a holistic, vehicle-based consortium, not just an engine research consortium,” said Edward M. Smith III, a principal engineer with SwRI’s Powertrain Systems Engineering Department and H2-ICE2 program manager. “We plan to exercise the existing vehicle to identify challenges and opportunities unique to operating an H2-ICE powered vehicle and engineer their solutions.”
On March 27, SwRI will hold a free launch meeting for current and prospective members to learn more about H2-ICE2’s goals and overarching vision. Visit the H2-ICE2 consortium webpage to register to attend at SwRI in San Antonio.
“It’s the perfect time for members to join,” Smith added. “We already have seen several aspects of the vehicle that we can adjust or improve. For instance, we are considering strategies for improved torque response and how to institute a rapid warm-up mode to reduce emissions even further. The combined knowledge of our consortium’s membership can help us advance development and overcome technical hurdles, paving the road to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
For more information, visit the https://www.swri.org/industry/hydrogen-powered-vehicles/hydrogen-internal-combustion-engine-h2-ice-consortium
Southwest Research Institute has launched the Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine 2 (H2-ICE2) consortium to help the automotive and transportation industries understand and address technical challenges in developing clean and efficient hydrogen vehicles. The consortium’s kick-off meeting will be on March 27, 2025, at SwRI’s headquarters in San Antonio.
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Southwest Research Institute
Chemical water-assisted electrolysis: a new frontier for clean hydrogen production
Industrial Chemistry & Materials
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Perspectives for chemical-assisted water electrolysis provide valuable insights into innovative catalyst design strategies and outline future directions for achieving low-voltage and high-efficiency hydrogen production.
view moreCredit: Ho Won Jang, Seoul National University, South Korea.
To address climate change and environmental pollution, clean hydrogen production technologies are gaining attention. In particular, water electrolysis is considered a promising technology that can produce hydrogen without carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but there is a problem of reduced energy efficiency due to high operating voltage.
Chemical water-assisted electrolysis is emerging as a promising solution to address these challenges. This technology produces hydrogen at low voltage by substituting the water oxidation reaction (OER) with various chemical oxidation reactions, such as ammonia, alcohol, urea, and hydrazine. Moreover, it offers the potential to simultaneously enhance energy production and promote environmental improvement by generating high-value products or eliminating pollutants. A team of researchers introduced various chemical water-assisted electrolysis systems in this study and systematically analyzed the latest catalyst design strategies to address the high overpotential issues of each reaction. Their work was published on February 24, 2025, in Industrial Chemistry & Materials.
"Chemical water-assisted electrolysis technology represents an innovative approach to overcoming the limitations of conventional water electrolysis, enabling clean hydrogen production with enhanced energy efficiency,” said Ho Won Jang, a Professor at Seoul National University. “This study systematically compiles the latest catalyst design strategies and demonstrates their potential for improving the energy efficiency of various chemical water-assisted electrolysis reactions."
However, there are still many technical challenges for chemical water-assisted electrolysis to replace conventional water electrolysis. Key issues include maintaining catalyst durability and achieving low-voltage operation, which is being actively addressed through electrochemical reaction mechanism studies and AI-driven catalyst design.
For industrial applications, high current density (A cm-2) and long-term stability (>10,000 hours) are required. Recently, researchers have been working on membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is a direct assembly of anode, membrane, and cathode, to reduce electrical resistance and mass transfer losses while achieving high current density. Additionally, fuel cell-type devices that operate under high-temperature conditions for high performance are also being developed, along with efforts to develop self-powered hydrogen production systems.
"The main goal of this review is to quickly and accurately provide readers with the latest research trends and catalyst design strategies in this field, and to outline a comprehensive blueprint for industrial applications," Jang said.
The research team includes Jiwoo Lee, Sol A Lee, Tae Hyung Lee, and Ho Won Jang from Seoul National University in South Korea.
This research is funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (RS-2024-00405016 and RS-2024-00421181).
Industrial Chemistry & Materials is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with APCs currently waived. ICM publishes significant innovative research and major technological breakthroughs in all aspects of industrial chemistry and materials, especially the important innovation of the low-carbon chemical industry, energy, and functional materials. Check out the latest ICM news on the blog.
Journal
Industrial Chemistry and Materials
Method of Research
Literature review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Unlocking the potential of chemical-assisted water electrolysis for green hydrogen production
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