Machines: JCB and its ongoing hydrogen battle

The search for an alternative fuel to power the world's vehicle fleet has taken many turns in recent years, with many hopes placed on the lithium-ion battery as the primary method of energy storage in the future.

Yet perhaps we had too much hope in them because, despite the great strides made in reducing charging times and increasing their capacity, established off-road vehicle manufacturers have done their math and have decided that they would not replace the current diesel engine.

Yet this does not mean that all attempts to find an alternative method to power construction and agricultural machinery have ended, as there are still synthetic diesel fuel and hydrogen (H) combustion as favorites to replace the current near-universal diesel engine system.

Engines for all fuels

The general trend among engine manufacturers is to design engines with the built-in ability to run on a variety of fuels, with the AGCO Core project being a notable example of companies hedging their bets.

However, there is one company that has thrown its weight behind H-power and has been pushing for its adoption for at least six years now.

That company is JCB and its chairman, Anthony Bamford, is determined to see his vision of a carbon-free off-road fleet come to fruition through the use of this elemental gas.

Aside from the technical issues, and there are many, one of the unspoken issues in JCB's home country is the legislation.

Currently, H-engined construction and agricultural machinery is not allowed on UK roads, an issue which the then Lord Bamford (he has since resigned from the Lords) brought to the upper house in 2021 .

The Sunak government has finally launched a consultation paper on the issue, with the deadline for submission set for April this year (2024). So far, no results or conclusions have emerged from this exercise.

JCB authorized to test

Waiting JCB, was awarded a special vehicle order last year, giving the company permission to test its H-engined excavators on UK roads.

It is this form of license that the government wishes to extend to all companies, allowing them to accelerate the development of hydrogen energy, even if there is no indication that the widespread use of hydrogen in all-terrain vehicles land is closer due to road restrictions. .

This has not stopped JCB from promoting the hydrogen combustion engine as an alternative to diesel.

Bamford himself has been on the front lines demonstrating the machines at press events, and various political leaders have agreed to come forward and lend their weight to the campaign.

Despite all the enthusiasm shown for the transition to H, a distribution infrastructure will still need to be put in place to supply the gas and, although this is currently taking shape, it would be accelerated if cars could also run on H combustion. 'hydrogen.

This was recognized by Bamford in 2020 when he expressed his view in the Lords that it is fossil fuels, not the internal combustion engine, that are the enemy.

This request to suspend the execution of this type of engine was rejected by the government on the grounds that it still produces nitrogen oxides and therefore cannot be classified as zero emissions.

Hydrogen production slows

In the same debate, the UK government also highlighted the €240 million it had committed to establishing electrolytic hydrogen production plants near renewable energy sources such as offshore wind farms.

Currently, the majority of commercially available H comes from fossil fuels and is a byproduct of industrial processes.

Four years later, no power plant is in service and only one is in the design phase, which suggests that the problems of this method of hydrogen production still remain to be resolved, whether technical or financial.

JCB's crusade to increase awareness and acceptability of H gas as a replacement for diesel fuel in agricultural and construction machinery is a laudable attempt to find an alternative method of energy management for vehicles.

Yet despite Bamford's zeal in his own efforts to move gas forward, the stumbling blocks are such that we are unlikely to see the full deployment of H-engine machines, or the infrastructure to sustain them supplied for a certain period of time. a few more years.