Hydrogen Engine Alliance Launched to Promote Clean Energy Solutions

Hydrogen fuels ICEs for low emissions. H2EA-NA promotes hydrogen as an alternative, fostering innovation and collaboration.

March 4, 2025

André Boehman

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Vennema Professor of Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Engineering Laboratory.

Hydrogen could revolutionize internal combustion engines, offering cleaner energy for vehicles. Despite its promise to cut emissions like carbon dioxide, its adoption in the U.S. has been slow. The University of Michigan and University of California, Riverside, alongside industry partners, are changing this with the Hydrogen Engine Alliance of North America (H2EA-NA), promoting hydrogen as a viable alternative fuel alongside electric and zero-emission technologies.

“Using hydrogen in internal combustion engines offers a low-carbon, long-term solution for transportation, particularly in applications where battery electric or fuel cell vehicles may not meet consumer performance requirements,” said André Boehman, U-M Vennema professor of engineering and director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Engineering Laboratory.

André Boehman posing in front of mechanical engineering laboratory equipment. — André Boehman the University of Michigans Vennema professor of engineering a professor of mechanical engineering and the director of the Walter E Lay Automotive Engineering Laboratory will serve as a co director of the new Hydrogen Engine Alliance of North America along with officials from the University of California Riverside The alliance will promote hydrogen as a viable alternative fuel for ICE vehicles Credit Marcin Szczepanski Michigan Engineering

A demonstration by the Southwest Research Institute highlighted hydrogen’s potential in heavy-duty trucks with ultra-low nitrogen oxides emissions, much lower than diesel alternatives. This underlines hydrogen’s potential for reducing transportation emissions.

Boehman will co-direct H2EA-NA with Georgios Karavalakis from UCR, whose focus is on combustion engines and zero-carbon fuels. Wayne Miller, a founding scientist and principal investigator, also contributes to the alliance, with expertise in zero-carbon fuels and marine systems.

Georgios Karavalakis and Wayne Miller pose in front of mechanical engineering equipment in a lab setting. — The University of California Riversides Georgios Karavalakis a professor of chemical and environmental engineering and co director of the Hydrogen Energy Alliance with Wayne Miller a founding scientist and principal investigator for the group The alliance will promote hydrogen as a viable alternative fuel for ICE vehicles Credit University of California Riverside

“Hydrogen is a powerful fuel option when used in internal combustion engines, and opens an effective pathway to a cleaner energy future,” Miller said.

H2EA-NA aims to raise awareness of hydrogen’s benefits and build support for hydrogen infrastructure in the U.S. Membership offers access to new technologies and industry standards, helping the U.S. compete with nations like Germany and Japan in hydrogen development. “The U.S. has immense potential to lead in hydrogen fuel innovation, but significant barriers in infrastructure, policy, and public awareness have slowed progress,” said Karavalakis.

The alliance will host the 2025 Hydrogen Engine Alliance Conference on May 1-2, 2025, at CARB headquarters in Riverside, CA, featuring discussions on hydrogen technology and policy.

Member fees will fund the alliance, managed through the U.C. Riverside Foundation. For membership details, visit the H2EA-NA website.

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