On April 26, the mid-term review meeting of the National Key R&D Program “Key Technology Development and Application of Dedicated Ammonia Internal Combustion Engines for Hybrid Heavy Commercial Vehicles”, led by Yuchai Co., Ltd., was held in Changshu, Jiangsu Province.
The first prototype of a pure ammonia internal combustion engine (single ammonia-fuel engine) developed under the project achieved successful ignition and stable operation, marking a landmark milestone for the program.
At the ignition ceremony, a group of leaders and experts witnessed this historic moment, including Wu Zhixin, Chairman of the Electric Vehicle Sub-Committee of the National Automobile Standardization Technical Committee; Li Shusheng, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Internal Combustion Engine Society; Jia Bin, Secretary-General of the China Internal Combustion Engine Industry Association; Wang Tianyou, Executive Vice President of Tianjin University; Lin He, Executive Vice President of the Wuxi Institute of Carbon-Neutral Power Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Zhong Yuwei, Deputy General Manager of Yuchai Co., Ltd.; and Lin Tiejian, Chief Engineer of Yuchai Co., Ltd.
The successful ignition of the world’s first large-displacement high-pressure direct-injection pure ammonia engine dedicated to hybrid applications represents a historic breakthrough for Yuchai in zero-carbon power research.
The engine realizes coordinated operation with a high-pressure ammonia-to-hydrogen system, and validates the industrial application of pre-chamber jet ignition technology for high-pressure direct-injection liquid ammonia.
It integrates multiple cutting-edge core technologies, including a dome combustion chamber, active pre-chamber, in-cylinder high-pressure liquid ammonia direct injection, aftertreatment coupling for low-temperature and high-efficiency conversion of nitrogen-based emissions, and intelligent control for co-injection of hydrogen-rich fuels.
Its thermal efficiency reaches the peak level of current heavy-duty diesel engines. It delivers an all-new zero-carbon power solution for long-haul heavy commercial vehicles that balances full-lifecycle cost advantages with low-carbon emission reduction requirements, accelerating the green and zero-carbon transformation of traditional internal combustion engines.
In terms of electronic control, the project independently developed a dedicated ECU for hybrid ammonia engines, filling Yuchai’s self-reliance gap in core control software for ammonia-fuel hybrid power units.
Equipped with a high-computing multi-core processor and large-capacity storage module, the self-developed controller features fully independent core control logic. It precisely regulates pre-chamber ignition, ammonia-hydrogen mixture ratio and liquid ammonia injection strategies, greatly enhancing Yuchai’s core competitiveness in the zero-carbon engine sector.
The ammonia-to-hydrogen system adopted for the ignition test adopts a catalytic cracking high-pressure hydrogen production route, breaking the technical barrier of efficient ammonia conversion under low-temperature and high-pressure conditions.
Fitted with a novel low-temperature ruthenium-based catalyst, the system achieves efficient hydrogen production from ammonia at 400℃–450℃, significantly reducing energy consumption and thermal loss during hydrogen generation.
In recent years, Yuchai has continued to deepen its layout in low-carbon and zero-carbon power, achieving full-chain breakthroughs covering hydrogen, ammonia and methanol power.
- Hydrogen power: Developed China’s largest-displacement hydrogen-fueled engine YCK16H and completed vehicle demonstration operation; mastered PEM hydrogen production technology and launched a 30kW high-efficiency electrolyzer.
- Ammonia power: Delivered China’s first ammonia dual-fuel low-speed marine engine 6X52DF-A-1.0, marking China’s entry into the zero-carbon shipping power track.
- Methanol power: Overcame the technical difficulty of methanol’s low ignitability, launching China’s highest-power spark-ignited pure methanol engine with classification society certification.
In addition, Yuchai has built a flexible fuel technology platform, providing core power support for multi-energy transportation systems.
Going forward, Yuchai will actively respond to the national Dual Carbon strategic goals and comprehensively expand R&D in zero-carbon power technologies.
Building on this new milestone, the company will continue to explore the forefront of power technology, focus on independent R&D, and establish a complete independent intellectual property system for hybrid-dedicated ammonia engines.
Yuchai will further strengthen innovative R&D capabilities in ammonia energy applications, and work with partners to build a full-chain demonstration ecosystem for ammonia energy in transportation.
It will lead the high-quality green transformation of the industry and make critical contributions to China’s transportation structure optimization and the realization of the Dual Carbon strategic targets.
