Amogy Inc., a developer of ammonia power solutions, announced the successful testing of the first ammonia-powered, zero-emission semi truck. After integrating its technology into a 5 kW drone in July 2021 and 100kW John Deere tractor in May 2022, Amogy has scaled its ammonia-to-power technology to 300 kW.

Following an eight-minute-long fueling, the semi truck, having 900 kWh of total stored net electric energy, was tested for several hours on the campus of Stony Brook University. Later this month, the Amogy team will pursue a full-scale testing on a test track to showcase the truck’s performance under various real-world operating conditions.

This latest successful presentation further shows ammonia to be a viable, sustainable solution for the otherwise hard-to -bate heavy-duty trucking industries, which account for 23% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking has been challenging, with alternatives such as battery power lacking the energy density needed to replace diesel for larger vehicles and long-distance routes with minimal downtimes.

Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system can enable the industry’s transition away from diesel-powered engines and to alternative fuel-to-power technologies. Unlocking ammonia’s potential, Amogy’s proprietary technology enables the on-board cracking of ammonia into hydrogen, which is then sent directly into a fuel cell to power the vehicle.

Liquid ammonia has an energy density that is approximately three times greater than compressed hydrogen and it requires significantly less energy, making it cost-effective to store and transport.

Beyond its incredible energy-density and liquid phase at an ambient temperature, ammonia is an optimal fuel to achieve rapid decarbonization of heavy transportations because it is available globally with existing infrastructure already in place.

This achievement not only showcases Amogy’s technology as an accessible and scalable solution for trucking, it also highlights the capabilities and dedication of our outstanding team. First it was an ammonia-powered drone, then a tractor and now a truck. In the near future, we look forward to further scaling and tackling other hard-to-abate sectors, such as global shipping.

—Seonghoon Woo, CEO at Amogy

Following this successful freight truck testing, Amogy will continue to pursue strategic partnerships across the global shipping and transportation industries. This includes the company’s 1 MW-scale ammonia-powered tugboat to be presented later in 2023, and other commercial deployments with partners including a recently-announced inland barge retrofit project with Southern Devall.