Hyliion
Hyliion KARNO
Hyliion Holdings Corp, a leader in electrified powertrain solutions for Class 8 semi-trucks, announced on August 25 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a new hydrogen and fuel agnostic capable generator, named KARNO, from GE Additive. The technology can use as many as 20 different types of fuel.
The KARNO generator emerged from GE’s long-running research and development investments in metal additive manufacturing across multiple industries and in areas such as generator thermal and performance design.
The company says initial testing indicated the generator is expected to comply with all current and foreseeable emissions standards. Specifically, the standards from CARB and EPA, even when utilising conventional fuels.
Hyliion will pay 15 million USD in cash for the GE assets, as well as related intellectual property and certain 3D printing machines needed to manufacture the KARNO generators. GE will also receive approximately 22 million USD in Hyliion stock, with acquisition set to be completed by the end of Q3 of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
Hyliion aims to release the Hypertruck ERX powertrain, which uses a natural gas engine as the onboard generator. Following on from that, the company plans to release the Hypertruck KARNO, its fuel agnostic variant. Hyliion say that the releases are part of the 'journey to a hydrogen-based future.'
“Solving climate change, whether through adopting electric vehicles or reducing emissions from manufacturing sites, requires clean, efficient and dependable electricity. Hyliion will leverage the KARNO as the next generation generator onboard the Hypertruck, creating a solution that will operate on various fuel sources that are available today, while remaining future-proofed to run on hydrogen when it becomes widely accessible,” said Thomas Healy, Founder and CEO of Hyliion.
The developers say that the 3D printed KARNO is expected to provide significant reduction in noise, vibration, moving parts and maintenance compared to current combustion engines. It is also predicted to achieve a 20%+ efficiency improvement over today’s conventional generators and could be more efficient than most available fuel cells.
TCT spoke to GE Additive earlier this year about the company's long awaited metal binder jetting technology.
