Ferrari patents hydrogen-powered engine [Video]

(Motor Authority) – Ferrari has filed a patent application for a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine, hinting that the automaker is considering this as a way to keep combustion engines alive in a future with stricter emissions regulations.

Unlike hydrogen fuel cells, which generate electricity that is then used to power motors, hydrogen combustion engines simply burn hydrogen instead of gasoline in a process that emits no carbon dioxide. It’s not a new idea—BMW built a hydrogen-powered 7-Series in the early 2000s—but this is the first time Ferrari has publicly expressed interest in it. The automaker sees hydrogen combustion as a way to drastically reduce emissions.

A hydrogen engine would generate no greenhouse gases and minimal amounts of other pollutants like carbon monoxide and particulates, Ferrari claims in the patent application, which was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Feb. 29 but filed by Ferrari in 2023.

Minimal …