The power unit will help off-highway original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – both large scale and those with limited resources – address the energy transition.
It will be able to directly replace its diesel equivalent in terms of power density and response, enabling a wide range of OEMs, regardless of their size or the application they manufacture, to accelerate their transition to lower-carbon intensity or zero-carbon fuels, and harness electrification.
The design will support several fuel types with the initial demonstration utilising hydrogen.
Supported by UK Government funding of £11.14M through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), Project Coeus will develop a 7-litre Perkins® 1200 Series industrial power unit with hybrid-electric components and advanced controls to enable operation on hydrogen fuel. The 45-250 kW hybrid powertrain system will be configured with factory-installed ECM sensors, radiators, cooling packs, filtration, control systems and aftertreatment hardware in a complete, integrated package that minimises OEM development timelines and reduces engineering and assembly costs.
Launching this month, the three-and-a-half-year project will be led by Perkins’ global engineering headquarters in Peterborough, UK, with Equipmake providing epowertrain technology and Loughborough University supporting through advanced engine analytics and emissions control.
Project Coeus will see the design, development and manufacture of a multi-fuel ‘drop-in’ hybrid powertrain, which directly replaces existing diesel solutions in off-highway machines and will support the UK and global off-highway industries to deliver reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are pleased to have secured this opportunity to accelerate the development of advanced off-highway power system solutions,” said David Goldspink, Perkins Vice President and General Manager.
“This project will explore, innovate and lead the way to solving some of the key challenges facing the off-highway industry’s energy transition and support the transition towards reduced carbon in this key sector.”
Dr Ed Long, the Loughborough University project lead added: “I am delighted that Loughborough is part of such a significant project. In partnership with Perkins and Equipmake, we will advance new knowledge to develop leading-edge hydrogen hybrid power solutions and strengthen the skills and talent pipeline needed to build sustainable products for the future.”
Project Coeus will be supported by funding through the APC, which leverages research and engagement to provide insight that drives early-stage R&D, funding that takes proof of concepts to marketability, and strategic insight that drives the industrialisation of the best technology types to benefit the UK.
At Loughborough experts from the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering and Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering will be working on the project.
Discover more about Loughborough University’s world-leading hydrogen research and innovation capabilities at www.lboro.ac.uk/hydrogen
For more details on the Perkins support for the energy transition, visit Advanced Power Solutions.