POWER TALK COLLABORATION IN SEARCH OF SOLUTIONS

MAHLE Powertrain is leading a project to develop sustainable propulsion solutions for retrofit to high performance marine vessels where battery and other electrified technologies may not prove practical.

The collaboration with the RNLI, the University of Nottingham and Clean Air Power will initially target search and rescue vessels. MAHLE’s Jet Ignition® technology, optimised for hydrogen combustion under the name HyJet, enables the ignition of sustainable fuels in clean combustion engines. The project will aim to deliver retrofit solutions at scale across commercial, professional and governmental fleets.

“The current and predicted future state of battery technology alone cannot offer the range and performance required by the RNLI at an acceptable weight for retrofit to its lifeboats,” explained Martin Berger, vice president corporate research and advanced engineering at MAHLE.

“The RNLI has committed to eliminating or reducing impacts on the environment, and to become a low-carbon, climate-resilient organisation,” said Victoria Limbrick, carbon & energy manager, RNLI.

“Fuel for our lifeboats, rescue watercraft and logistics vehicles accounts for around 57 per cent of our total energy use. The HyJet project offers an exciting opportunity to investigate and learn about potential solutions that could help meet our challenging sustainability targets and to fulfil our ambition to move away from fossil fuels.”

Funded by the Department for Transport as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, HyJet’s findings lay the foundations for a follow-on project to create a real-world demonstrator vessel. The project’s focus on commercialisation will establish a clear route to market that can be scaled throughout the marine sector, helping it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition towards net zero.