Heavy duty commercial vehicle driveline specialist, Eaton is rapidly reinventing itself in a bid to stay relevant and competitive in the changing market that is looking to embrace more zero emission vehicles for transporting tasks around the globe.
Eaton, which is now branding itself as an “Intelligent power management company” will use the IAA Truck expo in Hanover next week to announce and showcase a broad range of solutions for hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles .
Scott Adams, Eaton’s Mobility Group’s senior vice president for global products, said the company believes that hydrogen can play a significant role in decarbonising commercial vehicles.
“Whether a vehicle is powered by hydrogen fuel cells or a hydrogen internal combustion engine, Eaton’s broad range of innovative solutions makes us a valuable supplier partner,” Adams said in the company announcement ahead of the Hanover Show.
Eaton says that recirculating excess hydrogen through the fuel cell stack is critical to achieving high efficiency in fuel cells.
The company said that based on its TVS technology, its hydrogen recirculation blower, cycles surplus hydrogen to the stack’s inlet, extending system longevity through anode purging, managing water, and reducing cold start issues while maximising hydrogen utilisation and improving efficiency and stack responsiveness.
Eaton claims its H2 internal combustion engines (ICE) also need significantly more air for the combustion process. Eaton’s TVS supercharger provides the ability to produce instant air flow at low engine speeds, and can be disengaged to reduce parasitic losses when not needed, as well as being able to optimise and complement a turbocharger in super-turbo applications.
Ther company claims hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines pose unique challenges that fall squarely within its area of expertise, which it says is engine air management.
It said that its H2 ICE engines have higher combustion chamber temperatures compared to diesel engines, making them susceptible to surface auto-ignition or knocking.
Eaton, which claims to be one of the largest global producers of engine valves, says it leveraged its extensive experience to develop its next generation of hollow valves designed specifically for commercial vehicles and hydrogen-powered applications.
The company added that the innovative design of the new hollow valves results in lower temperatures, which reduces the risk of engine knock and allows the valve to be produced with more cost-effective materials.
Eaton also said that H2 ICE engines require more engine braking due to their low compression ratio and to achieve this the company says it has developed its own 1.5 stroke engine brake, which it claims delivers 40 per cent more braking power at low speed compared to a conventional engine brake.
The company says that testing has shown that the combination of one of its own Eaton superchargers and a 1.5-stroke engine brake provides additional braking power of up to 20 per cent.
Eaton has a long history in the transport sector and was founded in 1911. The company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange for more than a century and last year reported revenues of $US 23.2 billion in 2023 from its operations in more than 160 countries.
In rebranding itself as an “intelligent power management company ” Eaton says it is dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere.
The company says it now makes products for data centre, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets.
“By capitalising on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalisation, we’re accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy sources, helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges, and building a more sustainable society for people today and generations to come,” the company said
