This startup is fuel-injecting hydrogen to make cargo ships more efficient
Startup Newlight has developed a hydrogen-injection system designed to retrofit existing cargo ship diesel engines to improve fuel efficiency. The system monitors engine performance in real-time to inject hydrogen, reportedly reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions by over 20%.
Why it matters
This technology offers a practical, cost-effective way to decarbonize the shipping industry without requiring expensive new vessel construction.
It’s one the most iconic scenes in the Fast & Furious film franchise: Paul Walker’s thumb comes off the steering wheel and smashes a small red button, pumping nitrous oxide into the engine of his Mitsubishi Eclipse and giving the car an explosive boost.
This is not exactly how the hydrogen-injection system developed by a startup called Newlight works on cargo ships. In fact, the company’s system uses compressed hydrogen fuel to boost efficiency — not to beat Vin Diesel. But it’s an analogy that’s proved to be useful for co-founder Evyatar Cohen.
“Instead of getting power, we actually say to the engine: ‘Hey, reduce the fuel [flow] to the engine, we don’t need as much because we have some nitrous. It’s [just] called hydrogen,’” he told TechCrunch in an exclusive interview.
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