On July 3, 2026, Weichai Power's independently developed WP15 cylinder direct injection heavy-duty hydrogen internal combustion engine officially completed the full set of National VI emission certification tests at the China Automotive Research and Inspection Center (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., becoming the first domestic and global heavy-duty hydrogen internal combustion engine product to meet National VI regulations, laying a solid foundation for the zero carbon commercialization of heavy equipment.

Combining ultimate emissions and all-around performance

Building a benchmark product for heavy-duty zero carbon power

This environmental emission certification is strictly carried out in accordance with the national heavy-duty engine emission standards for full cycle operation, covering rigorous tests such as cold start, low-speed idle, high-speed full load, and transient variable load, comprehensively inspecting the emission level and working stability of the product under various actual operating conditions.

The actual test results show that the emission indicators of various pollutants in Weichai WP15 direct injection heavy-duty hydrogen internal combustion engine are significantly better than the current regulatory limits, and the carbon dioxide (CO ₂) emissions are almost zero, with environmental performance reaching the top level in the industry. Relying on independently developed flexible cylinder direct injection technology, high response intake and exhaust systems, as well as integrated technology for internal purification and emission closed-loop control, the hydrogen internal combustion engine's bare body emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO ₓ) are far below the national standard limit. By installing a simple post-treatment system, it can adapt to more stringent emission and environmental regulations in the future, providing stable and reliable long-term technical support for the industry's long-term green and compliant development.

As Weichai Power's flagship product designed for heavy-duty zero carbon scenarios, the WP15 direct injection heavy-duty hydrogen internal combustion engine uses pure hydrogen fuel and spark plug ignition technology, with comprehensive performance ranking among the top tier of global models with the same displacement. The engine displacement is 14.6L, with a maximum power of 600 horsepower and a maximum torque of 2800N · m in this test; The maximum effective thermal efficiency of this model reaches 46.8%, integrating the three core advantages of strong power, low energy consumption, and zero carbon emissions, and the industrialization landing advantage is very prominent.

The generalization rate of WP15 direct injection heavy-duty hydrogen internal combustion engine components with existing traditional fuel engine platforms exceeds 90%, fully inheriting the advantages of high load capacity, long endurance, and strong environmental adaptability of traditional internal combustion engines. Relying on the complete domestic industrial chain and mature operation and maintenance system, it effectively reduces equipment production, transformation, and later operation and maintenance costs.

At the same time, this product has a higher tolerance for hydrogen fuel purity, which can significantly reduce the cost of terminal hydrogen use, accelerate the pace of hydrogen energy replacing traditional fossil fuels, effectively promote the green upgrading of the entire industry chain in transportation and high-end equipment fields, and can be widely used in various scenarios such as mainline heavy trucks, green mining dump trucks, port transfer equipment, steel plant heavy-duty vehicles, and large hydrogen generator sets.

Core technologies for tackling the full chain layout

Leading the commercialization process of the hydrogen energy industry

Weichai, with an 80 year history, is a leading enterprise in the field of hydrogen power in China. For many years, it has been deeply involved in the core track of hydrogen internal combustion engines, always adhering to the green and low-carbon research and development orientation, and continuously increasing research and development investment and full industry chain layout. The enterprise relies on sufficient capital investment and a strong R&D team to build a full chain R&D system covering basic research, technological breakthroughs, prototype iteration, and industrialization landing. It continues to overcome multiple key core technologies in the field of hydrogen internal combustion engines and break through industry technical barriers.

In terms of technological layout, Weichai Power adheres to the parallel iterative development of multiple technological routes, including airway injection, low-pressure cylinder direct injection, high-pressure cylinder direct injection, etc. It has completed the matrix construction of 8L, 13L, and 15L multi displacement hydrogen internal combustion engine products, achieved full power range layout, comprehensively covered medium and heavy-duty road and non road hydrogen power application scenarios, and formed a systematic technological research and development advantage.

In December 2024, Weichai Power took the lead in undertaking the first national key research and development plan in the field of hydrogen internal combustion engines in China - the "Key Technologies for Hybrid Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines for Heavy Commercial Vehicles" project, deeply participating in the preparation of international and domestic standards, and continuously leading the development direction of domestic hydrogen internal combustion engine technology. Recently, the project team conducted tests simultaneously in Beijing and Weifang, and the highest effective thermal efficiency of Weichai hydrogen internal combustion engine reached 46.8%, setting a record for the highest level of publicly available data at home and abroad.  

Relying on mature technological advantages, the pace of product commercialization continues to accelerate, and Weichai Power is leading the industry in multiple innovative applications. The enterprise took the lead in opening up the application path of hydrogen energy for commercial vehicles. In June 2022, it jointly launched the first commercial hydrogen internal combustion engine heavy-duty truck in China with China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, creating a scalable and replicable landing model for the zero carbon transformation of mainline logistics.

At the same time, the enterprise actively expands the new track of industrial hydrogen energy application, relying on the mature WP13 hydrogen internal combustion engine to create dedicated hydrogen generator sets. By January 2026, the first domestic pure hydrogen power generation will be connected to the grid for stable operation, effectively overcoming industry common problems such as unstable hydrogen combustion and speed fluctuations, and opening up a new industrial chain for efficient consumption of industrial by-product hydrogen and zero carbon clean power generation.

Against the backdrop of the deepening of the "dual carbon" strategy, the zero carbon transformation in the field of heavy-duty engines is the core link for upgrading China's energy structure and promoting green and high-quality industrial development. Compared with other hydrogen power technology routes, hydrogen internal combustion engines rely on mature industrial systems, low transformation and application costs, and excellent adaptability to complex working conditions. They are more suitable for high-intensity, high load, and complex environmental scenarios such as mines, ports, mainline logistics, and industrial production. They are currently the most cost-effective and easy to implement technology path for large-scale zero carbon substitution in the field of heavy-duty engines, with broad prospects for industrial development.

The compliance implementation of Weichai WP15 in cylinder direct injection heavy hydrogen internal combustion engine fully verified the feasibility and progressiveness of the technical route of heavy hydrogen internal combustion engine, broke the technical limitations of high-end heavy zero carbon power, and provided a mature and feasible Chinese scheme for the green transformation of the domestic heavy engine industry.

This certification is an important achievement of Weichai Power's deep cultivation in the field of hydrogen energy, adherence to independent innovation and green development. In the future, enterprises will accelerate the mass production and implementation of products, actively participate in national demonstration projects, continue to launch high-quality zero carbon power solutions, help upgrade green industries, and empower the high-quality development of the hydrogen energy industry.Editor/Gong Ziwei