MIT spin-out unveils reactor that lets existing diesel trucks run on hydrogen
Why it matters: it's a retrofit path for hydrogen in heavy diesel transport that sidesteps the infrastructure problems that have stalled hydrogen trucking elsewhere.
Boston startup LNK Energies, spun out of MIT, says it can convert existing heavy-duty diesel trucks to run on hydrogen without the expensive high-pressure storage tanks hydrogen trucks usually need. The system stores hydrogen chemically in a liquid carrier that can be pumped like diesel, then releases it on demand through a reactor the company says is roughly the size of a mini-fridge. The released hydrogen can burn in a modified combustion engine or feed fuel cells. Co-founders Sayandeep Biswas and Alexis Huynh say a converted Class 8 truck could undercut diesel on total cost of ownership even without government subsidies, though that claim hasn't been independently verified. The company has a lab-scale demonstrator and plans a commercial truck installation within 18 months, pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt this week.
Source: TechCrunch, 13 October 2026.