On April 26, the world's first heavy-duty commercial vehicle high-pressure direct injection pure ammonia internal combustion engine was successfully ignited and operated steadily in Changshu, Jiangsu. This engine is the first prototype developed under the project "Key Technology Development and Application of Ammonia Internal Combustion Engines for Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicle Hybrid Powertrains," led by Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co., Ltd. This successful ignition marks a milestone in the project's progress.

According to Lin Tiejian, Chief Engineer of Yuchai, the engine integrates multiple key advanced core technologies, including a dome combustion chamber, an active pre-chamber, in-cylinder high-pressure direct injection of liquid ammonia, post-treatment coupling for low-temperature and efficient conversion of nitrogen-based products, and intelligent control for collaborative injection of multi-hydrogen fuels. Its thermal efficiency matches the highest level of existing heavy-duty diesel engines, providing a new zero-carbon power solution for long-haul heavy-duty commercial vehicles that balances total lifecycle cost advantages with low-carbon emission reduction needs.

The ammonia-to-hydrogen system used in this ignition adopted a technical route of catalytic cracking high-pressure hydrogen production, breaking through the technological barriers of efficient catalytic conversion of ammonia to hydrogen under low-temperature and high-pressure conditions. The system is equipped with a new low-temperature ruthenium-based catalyst, enabling efficient hydrogen production from ammonia at a low temperature range of 400°C—450°C, significantly reducing the energy consumption of hydrogen production equipment and high-temperature losses.