Perkins tests new hydrogen hybridised IOPU
13.10.2026Five months after its first showing at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, Perkins’ advanced fuel-configurable hybridised IOPU (industrial open power unit) is being installed in an Ecotec® TDS 820 shredder, bringing together Perkins and Terex® to explore new technologies for environmental processing equipment.
Designed as a direct replacement for a diesel engine IOPU, the new hydrogen hybrid IOPU has completed extensive development testing and is now being fitted into the Ecotec TDS 820 shredder to further test the hybrid IOPU’s capabilities in the field.
“Demonstrating in machine is a key milestone for the team,” says Andy Curtis, customer solutions director at Perkins. “Showing the system operating in a real-world application recognises the progress made over the past two years. From early in the project, we knew we wanted to work with Terex® and its Ecotec environmental equipment business. Terex is one of the world’s leading OEMs for mobile wood processing, biomass and recycling equipment – which we believe is a great fit for the hybrid IOPU. We were delighted when they accepted our proposal and we’re now working together at our research and development facility in Peterborough to install and demonstrate the system.”
Terex Ecotec shredder fitted with Perkins hydrogen hybrid
© Perkins
Project Coeus is a three-year project that has seen Perkins partner with e-powertrain specialists Equipmake and Loughborough University’s Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering to develop an innovative, advanced fuel-configurable hybridised IOPU. The project is supported by UK Government funding of £ 11.14 million through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).
The four fuels selected for inclusion in the project – ethanol, methanol, bio-methane and hydrogen – have one characteristic in common: they are all spark-ignited fuels. To utilise these fuels, Perkins has created a configurable spark-ignited combustion platform on which the project relies.
The project has developed a hybridised IOPU to deliver a robust and trusted fuel-configurable plug-and-play solution that produces reliable performance and is designed to meet global emissions standards, ensuring flexibility for the user.
"Ecotec equipment processes waste materials such as wood waste, biomass and construction debris, helping customers recover reusable resources and reduce reliance on landfill," says Conor Hegarty, business line director for Ecotec. "While our products are already making a positive environmental impact through the work they perform, we're continually innovating to make the machines themselves more sustainable. Projects such as Coeus allow us to explore lower-emission technologies that can help meet future environmental requirements while continuing to deliver the power, reliability and productivity our customers expect from Ecotec equipment. The Peterborough Customer Machine Engineering Team (CMET) are currently integrating the hydrogen hybrid engine into the high-performance shredder,” says Andy. “Once that work’s complete, the machine demonstrator will undergo a series of tests at our proving site. We’ll be looking to demonstrate the proof of technology concept and that it achieves the peak load demands and transient response requirements of the machine.”
He adds: “The machine demonstrator will also help us define how to handle and utilise hydrogen within a real-world jobsite environment. This learning will allow us to support our customers’ machine development goals during future project phases.”
Based on the Perkins® 1200 Series platform, the 1206 hydrogen hybrid IOPU is engineered to deliver a total of 379 kW – made up from the engine and the integrated motor generator unit (MGU), which boosts performance – and 1938 Nm at 1200-1500 rpm. The advanced hybrid cooling system is designed to reduce fuel consumption and noise from the IOPU by utilising on-demand cooling technology.
