The 40 Hottest Technologies of 2018 – as voting gets underway, the nominees in depth
Oberon Fuels Renewable Dimethyl Ether (DME) as diesel replacement and hydrogen carrier.
What does it do, how does it work, who is it aimed at?
Oberon is commercializing a new transportation fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), for use in heavy trucking and as a carrier for hydrogen fuel. DME s is an ideal replacement for diesel, as it can deliver the power and performance that many first-generation alternative fuels cannot. Renewable DME easily meets the strictest clean air and greenhouse gas standards, and is easily adapted to existing fueling infrastructure. Existing diesels can also easily be modified to use DME and several major manufacturers (Ford, Volvo, Mack Trucks) are making investments in building new engines. DME s chemistry also makes it an ideal carrier for hydrogen fuel. Simple equipment installed at fueling stations can reform renewable DME into hydrogen, opening the potential for DME and hydrogen infrastructure to expand concurrently. Finally, DME is one of the few high-performing fuels that can truly be produced locally from organic wastes, opening new opportunities for rural and urban economies.
Competitively, what gives this technology an edge?
When made from waste resources DME can deliver greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 68-101% when compared to diesel. This is superior to almost any fuel alternative (such as current electric vehicles tied to fossil power networks). DME also produces zero particulate matter, and low NOx emissions that are much easier to control. On the performance side, DME can meet the power needs of heavy trucking due to its similar performance to diesel, with a cetane level of 55-60, and is easy enough to handle that existing trucks and infrastructure can easily be adapted to use the fuel. In terms of cost, DME engines have lower lifetime operational costs, are easier to maintain and require fewer costly emissions control systems. Recently DME is also being recognized as a potential carrier for hydrogen fuel, and could play a truly transformative role for advancing fuel cell vehicles as one of the only viable sources of zero-emission hydrogen.
What stage of development is this technology at right now?
DME may be unfamiliar to the general public, but some of the biggest auto companies in the world are quietly investing in DME demonstration and engineering projects around the globe. Ford, Volvo and Mack Trucks have some of the longest running programs to develop DME engines. Newer programs are underway at CNH Industrial (maker of Fiat, Iveco, Case, New Holland, and other brands), Isuzu, Caterpillar, Continental, Bosch, Cummins, DENSO and Westport.
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