The Reggio Emilia, Italy plant of Kohler Engines recently sponsored and hosted Alternative fuels. A sustainable path to engines' decarbonisation, a workshop organised by SAE-NA, STEMS-CNR and Kohler.
The two-day international forum dedicated to alternative fuels in the on-road and off-road industry brought together technical and scientific experts from engine and component manufacturers, fuel producers, engineering companies, associations, and the world of research and academia, establishing an unbreakable bond between education and industry.
Luigi Arnone, Director of Engineering, Diesel Engines, and Vice President of SAE-NA, said: "Alternative fuels and hydrogen represent one of the pillars on which the development of internal combustion engines is being built. There are several technologies that, like Kohler, we are studying and developing in the perspective of environmental sustainability: we do not believe that a single solution could meet all needs; rather, we foresee a future in which different technologies will coexist."
For Kohler, choosing one solution over another will depend on the machine and factors such as the duty cycle, operating environment and location, regulations, and market-specific incentives.
What emerged from the forum on 16-17 November 2022 is the need to broaden the business vision and move from a simple economic perspective to a broader responsibility to the environment and the community that puts sustainability at the centre of business strategies. "We strongly believe that discussion within the international technical and scientific community is one of the keys to technological progress in a period of transition such as the current one", Arnone concluded.
Among the speakers, in addition to representatives from SAE-NA and Kohler Engines, were important figures from eFuel Alliance, Eni, IVECO Group, Ricardo UK Ltd, FEV Italia, Dena, and Landi Renzo Group. Other prominent speakers came from the academic world: Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories, the University of Naples Parthenope, the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, and the University of Florence.
Kohler has been manufacturing engines for over a century and has continued to grow its product portfolio since its inception to bring ease and convenience to end users worldwide. The company offers a comprehensive range of diesel, petrol and gas engines, with the biggest generating 140hp of power. The solutions are used globally by machine and equipment manufacturers in most key industries, including construction, earthmoving, and quarrying.
