JCB has been showcasing the world’s first diggers powered by hydrogen combustion engines.
Engineers at the JCB Power Systems engine factory in Derbyshire have been working on adapting established technology, using available components, to make an engine that burns hydrogen in exactly the same way traditional engine burns diesel.
The digger business is putting £100 million in developing the new type of engine which it says is less complicated than hydrogen fuel-cell technology being developed elsewhere – and the only by-product is steam.
JCB has been building engines for its machinery since 2004, at plants in Derbyshire and in Delhi, India, and last year the business celebrated the production of its 750,000th engine.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford challenged JCB’s engineers to develop a hydrogen combustion engine in 2020 because he believed the technology offered the quickest way to reach UK emissions reduction targets.
He wants the business to play its part in the drive to reach zero emissions by 2050 and JCB now has a number of prototype machines on test powered by hydrogen.
Along with the £100 million investment in the project, a team of 100 engineers has been brought together to work on the tech.
One of its hydrogen powered backhoe loaders paraded down The Mall as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the summer and the business has also unveiled a prototype Loadall telescopic handler machine powered by hydrogen, which could be used in the construction industry and on farms around the world.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently toured the engine plant in Foston, Derbyshire, where she was shown the production area and detailed testing processes involved in developing the technology.
She was accompanied by Gary Smith, the General Secretary of the GMB Union, and saw a demonstration of a prototype backhoe loader powered by a hydrogen combustion engine. She then tried her hand at what JCB says is the “quick and simple task” of refuelling the machine with hydrogen.
The Leeds West Labour MP said: “It was fantastic to see JCB’s zero emission machinery during my visit.
“I saw first-hand how hydrogen combustion engines can play an important role in decarbonising the construction industry and agriculture. It's clear that zero carbon technologies are the way forward for Britain.”
Lord Bamford said: “It was a pleasure to show the Shadow Chancellor the great strides our British engineers are taking in developing a solution to power our machines in the future.
“They need to be powered by something other than fossil fuels in the years to come and super-efficient, affordable, high-tech hydrogen engines with zero emissions can be brought to market quickly using our existing supply base.”
