Ammonia engine technology. Pardon me, what?
Well, surprise, surprise. Toyota has chosen a different path in its quest to create a more sustainable, fossil fuel-free future. Rather than focus on EV technologies, which appear to be making great strides, Toyota (according to Lagrada: https://lagradaonline.com/en/toyota-creates-ammonia-engines/, is researching revolutionary EV replacements in partnership with a Chinese consortium of manufacturers known as the GAC Group.
A recent release from GAC states that a 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine has produced 163 hp and that it does not use forced air induction to do so. The initial information is that this powerplant emits 90% less carbon dioxide than a normal lCE, yet has almost the same capacity and power.
There appear to be two variants of the engine design.
Spark-Ignition Engines: where a spark ignites the fuel-air mixture. This is essentially the same as an ICE.
Compression-Ignition Engine: This engine style uses compression to increase the fuel-air mixture’s temperature to the point of spontaneous ignition.
These technologies give rise to a variety of ways in which Ammonia can be used as fuel. They are:
Pure Ammonia Approach: Ammonia serves as the fuel and is burned using cutting-edge technologies.
Breakdown Approach: This approach can break down ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, which can then be used in a fuel cell to power an electric motor.
Combination Approach: This technology blends ammonia with fuels like diesel or gas, and by doing facilitates combustion.
While not producing greenhouse gases, these engines do produce exhaust gases that are unhealthy and dangerous to the environment, such as; nitrogen oxides (NOx), and Nitrous Oxide (N20).
At the moment, it would appear that ammonia as a fuel is overtly expensive, costing more than $45 a gallon. Another endemic problem with ammonia is that it is both corrosive and dangerous.
In any event, I’ll keep an eye on the technology as Toyota seldom makes decisions that don’t lead to fruition. But I must admit, if you thought EVs weren’t for you, I can’t see using an Ammonia engine. As am asphyxiant it can also cause serious burns. But time will only tell if it proves to be a usable and sustainable fuel source. Not to mention that at this point, adapting the technology to motorcycles may be a long way away.
Ciao…
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