German company develops hydrogen engine for tractors

When people talk about hydrogen vehicles today, they are basically electric cars that have their own electric production on board. Hydrogen and oxygen react in the fuel cell, generating electricity and producing water vapor instead of exhaust gases as a byproduct. All fuel cell vehicles available today, such as Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo, work with this technology.

Engine manufacturer Deutz from Cologne takes a different approach: engineers have developed a six-cylinder engine that burns hydrogen instead of diesel or gasoline. In this way, the gaseous fuel takes care of the propulsion – without going through the fuel cell. However, it is still CO₂– Neutral, because combustion also produces only water vapor.