JCB invests £100m in hydrogen engines

British construction equipment manufacturer JCB is investing £100 million (€117 million) to develop "super-efficient" hydrogen engines the company has revealed.

With a team of 100 engineers already working on the project, with 50 more expected to be recruited, JCB is targeting the end of 2022 for the first machines to be on sale to customers.

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JCB has already produced a prototype hydrogen-powered JCB backhoe loader and a second JCB machine – a Loadall telescopic handler – has been unveiled at central London event attended by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.JCB’s hydrogen technology will be next on show in the Green Zone at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.

JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: “We are investing in hydrogen as we don’t see electric being the all-round solution, particularly not for our industry because it can only be used to power smaller machines.

"It does mean we will carry on making engines, but they will be super-efficient, affordable, high-tech hydrogen motors with zero CO2 emissions, which can be brought to market quickly using our existing supply base.

"These will be our industry’s first hydrogen engines, developed in Great Britain by British engineers. Hydrogen motors have the potential to help the UK reach CO2 emissions targets more quickly."

JCB has manufactured engines since 2004, producing them at plants in Derbyshire and in Delhi, India. This year JCB will celebrate a major milestone: the production of its 750,000th engine.

JCB remained profitable in 2020 despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its global manufacturing operations.

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Lord Bamford added: “While 2020 was undoubtedly one of the most difficult years in our history, our focus is now very firmly on the future. We continue to lead the way in zero-emissions technology, particularly with the development of the construction equipment industry’s first internal combustion engine powered by hydrogen, which is already being tested in JCB machines.

"This is a great British breakthrough and we will be producing these engines by the end of next year.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited JCB to view the engines, said: “It was fantastic to see JCB’s super-efficient hydrogen engines, which could overhaul UK manufacturing, help us to rapidly reach our climate targets and ramp up the UK’s hydrogen economy – an exciting area that will be essential to tackling climate change, creating new jobs and attracting investment.”

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