Heavy Equipment
JCB ‘Zero Carbon’ Hydrogen Engine Debuts at US Expo
The engine already powers prototype backhoe loader and telehandler.
JCB is set to unveil its revolutionary hydrogen engine on the global stage for the first time with a debut at the ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas, US, next month.
The JCB hydrogen engine, which already powers a prototype backhoe loader and telescopic handler, is the company’s zero-carbon emissions solution for construction equipment.
It will be on display at the construction trade show in Las Vegas from March 14 to March 19, 2023, as part of the International Fluid Power Exposition.
JCB hydrogen engine production
JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said engineers at JCB Power Systems – the company’s engine factory in Derbyshire, UK – have made huge strides in a short space of time to build a groundbreaking hydrogen internal combustion engine.
“As the first construction equipment company to develop a fully working combustion engine fuelled by hydrogen, I’m delighted we are now able to present this technology on the international stage,” Mr Bamford said in a statement.
JCB, which claims to be the first OEM to build a fully working hydrogen engine, has developed a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit to get hydrogen to work sites.
How it works
The new JCB hydrogen engine is designed to utilise a brand-new combustion technology that replaces diesel fuel with hydrogen gas.
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Using and adapting established engine technology with readily available components, hydrogen is ignited and power is delivered the same way as a diesel engine.
“We kept the DNA of the engine; the only difference is the fuel, which is clean-burning hydrogen gas,” says Ryan Ballard a senior director at JCB.
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As such, machines fitted with a hydrogen engine can do everything their diesel-powered equivalents can do.
JCB is not new to these kinds of inventions.
The company designed the world’s first battery-electric mini excavator and has been fronting electric technology development to meet customers’ demands for zero-carbon equipment with its E-TECH range.
It currently holds the largest electric lineup in the construction industry.
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