Cummins Inc. has said that it has reached an agreement with a Pennsylvania-based industrial gas giant to accelerate the development and deployment of hydrogen-powered trucks in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Under a memorandum of understanding announced Monday, Cummins, which is headquartered in Columbus, will provide hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrains for an unspecified number of heavy-duty trucks for Air Products and Chemicals Inc. as the company starts to convert its global fleet of around 2,000 trucks to hydrogen fuel cell zero-emission vehicles.
Additionally, the two companies have pledged to work together to increase the accessibility of renewable hydrogen, including infrastructure aimed at encouraging the adoption of the gas as an energy source.
Based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Air Products claims to be the world’s largest supplier of hydrogen and sales of according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The two companies expect the demonstration phase of the agreement to begin next year, Cummins said.
“This is another turning point for hydrogen and the energy transition,” said Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger in a statement. “As we develop the technologies of tomorrow, we need the partnership of others to be successful, and this partnership with Air Products is the next step in leading the industry on the path to a zero-emissions future.”
Monday’s announcement was the latest in a series of agreements and announcements by Cummins as it seeks to ramp up its fuel cell and hydrogen production business in the coming years amid a global push to curb greenhouse gas emissions and avert the threat of catastrophic climate change.
Currently, there is a lot of buzz around hydrogen, with companies around the world increasingly exploring the technology to reduce emissions from semi-trucks, trains, buses, power plants, among other applications.
Earlier this month, Cummins announced that it will explore a strategic alliance with energy giant Chevron to develop business opportunities in hydrogen and other alternative energy sources.
Initially, Cummins and Chevron would work together to, among other things, advance public policy that promotes hydrogen as a decarbonizing solution for transportation and industry, develop infrastructure to support the use of hydrogen for industry and fuel cell vehicles and explore opportunities to leverage Cummins electrolyzer and fuel cell technologies at one or more of Chevron’s domestic refineries.
That announcement came just days after the Columbus-based company revealed that it is testing a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that would have near-zero carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.
For its part, Air Products believes that “hydrogen is the future for heavy-duty segments of the transportation market,” the company said in a statement.
