Diesel specialist exploring hydrogen
Globally renowned diesel engine manufacturer changing its approach to hydrogen.
The upfront capex investment and the unknown mid-term depreciation and remarketing potential of electric heavy-duty trucks remain a risk for fleets looking to reduce their diesel fuel price exposure. For short-haul urban light commercial vehicles, the case for battery powertrains is much stronger.
But where is hydrogen in the powertrain equation? Long touted as the best solution for heavy-duty long-haul cargo, mining ore, and construction fleets, hydrogen fuel cell trucks remain conspicuous by their absence. But why?
Hydrogen fuel cell trucks have much better operational range under load than an electric heavy-duty truck. Compared to diesel trucks, a hydrogen powertrain produces zero tailpipe emissions. But there are enormous, seemingly insolvable challenges with storing hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen fuel tanks are extraordinarily expensive, and the supporting hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, even more so.
Fuel cell market softening
The most telling evidence of how troubled the hydrogen equation is in the search for an alternative to diesel as a fleet transport fuel is a recent asset disposal by Cummins. The globally renowned American diesel engine specialist has continued to deliver excellent revenue and profit growth, despite regulatory pressure on diesel as a fleet fuel in Europe and California.
Accelera is the lean energy division of Cummins and reported a $ 277m EBITDA loss in the first quarter of 2026. Engineers at Accelera have been developing fuel-cell heavy-duty truck powertrains and achieved a world record operational test of 2900 km on a single hydrogen fuelling. But commercialisation remains unfulfilled.
Hydrogenated diesels
The more viable powertrain project has been Cummins ' upgrades to its renowned 6.7- and 15-litre I6 diesel engines, enabling hydrogen use in an internal combustion configuration. The Cummins X15H hydrogenated diesel engine is due for customer deliveries soon.
Rated at 2700 Nm for heavy-duty hauling, the X15H is on-spec for demanding operators. But this is effectively a converted combustion engine, not a hydrogen-electric fuel cell.
With its established history as a dominant global supplier of diesel engines for heavy-duty trucks, Cummins ' decision to scale back its hydrogen ambitions is telling. A potential marker is that the remarkable advances in pure-electric powertrain battery power density have rendered the viability of commercial heavy-duty hydrogen trucks questionable.
Despite its excellent future order book for diesel engines, Cummins has sought to diversify its powertrain business through technology investments and product development in hydrogen. But this derisking through powertrain diversity has proved disastrous, symbolising the poor economics of hydrogen as an energy source, and replacement for diesel fuel in trucks.
Cummins has sold its low-pressure hydrogen fuel cell business to French train manufacturer Alstom, triggering a $ 199m impairment charge as a condition of the sale. For the 2025 financial year, Cummins suffered $ 458m in impairment and restructuring charges for its electrolyser business, reflecting the poor state of the hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell market.
WORDS IN ACTION 10 MAY 2026