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China, Which Already Has One of the Largest Electric Car Markets, Is Now Seeking a New Form of Energy. GAC Motor Is Testing an Internal Combustion Engine That Can Burn Hydrogen with an Efficiency of 44%
After having a huge electric car market, China is now turning to hydrogen. GAC Motor has successfully completed tests of an internal combustion engine powered by hydrogen. It is still unclear whether the engine will be mass-produced or if it is just a study to find possible alternatives for electric cars. What is known so far is that the combustion engine burning hydrogen in China achieved an efficiency of 44%.
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To achieve this efficiency, GAC engineers developed a special combustion chamber designed to optimize hydrogen combustion. Additionally, reinforced pistons with special connecting rods and clamps were also used.
Regardless of the use of this combustion engine in mass-produced electric cars, the Chinese company has made it clear that it will continue optimizing hydrogen-powered thermal engines to achieve better performance.
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Moreover, the company stated that it is continuously working to create a hydrogen supply chain and production from clean sources. The automaker is following in the footsteps of the famous Toyota, which, in addition to the Mirai that uses a combustion engine burning hydrogen, is testing a hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla with a 1.6 engine in some endurance racing engines.
GAC Automaker Is Seeking Carbon Neutrality
GAC, like much of China’s automakers, plans to undergo an energy transition to narrow the gap with manufacturers in the West and is already active in the electric car sector.
Among the initiatives transforming the company into one of the main players in the automotive market over the past year is the development of the Eno 146, a car with the best Cx in the world, and the study of a battery made from graphene that can be recharged in just 8 minutes.
Moreover, the Chinese company has also signed an agreement with Huawei, and due to this partnership, in 2023 – Huawei is expected to debut in the zero-emission electric car market with its own models.
Hydrogen in Common Vehicles May Become a Reality in the Coming Years
A Portuguese company OZ Energy is creating a system that could adapt the combustion engine of common cars to run on hydrogen. Several traditional models are undergoing a transition process towards more sustainable mobility.
According to the company, using green energy doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul of the automotive fleet, and it advocates for using cars that are already on the market today, considering that the path to clean mobility is not made by discarding products that are still within their useful life.
Thus, for at least three years, the company has been developing a system capable of transforming a car with a combustion engine into a car that primarily uses hydrogen.
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