Peter Lewis, UK Forks National Housebuild Business and Development Manager, said: “The feedback so far is that the operator likes the machine, there’s no discernible difference from the diesel version, it’s just slightly quieter in operation. If we could switch over today, from a diesel fleet to a hydrogen fleet, obviously our CO2 credentials would be massively different as a business. That would be an advantage for us, most definitely.”
Jennifer Woodhall, Group Sustainability Program Manager for Vp added: “Decarbonising something like a telehandler is a huge challenge, because of the size, the weight, the cost, the location it needs to operate and the infrastructure behind it. It is incredibly exciting to see as large an investment as JCB is making in the hydrogen project and to see that we are doing this in collaboration with our customers as well in the value chain.
“Our customers are increasingly looking to us for new innovations in technologies and sustainability. No one business can make a huge impact, but the work that’s being done with JCB, with Vp and with Barratt Redow working together in collaboration, in partnership, is key to really solving some of these critical challenges.”
For JCB, the real-life testing of hydrogen-powered machinery is critical to future success. Group Director – Special Projects Tim Burnhope added: “We designed this hydrogen combustion engine Loadall to work in exactly the same way as its diesel counterpart. The operator feels no difference, it’s just an engine using a carbon-free fuel.
“We’ve been working with Tyseley Park in the Midlands on the supply of hydrogen. They fill our refueller or a hydrogen bowser and then it’s delivered to site. We’ve set up a zone for refuelling and then we simply transfer the fuel from the tanker into the machine, as you would with any fuel. It’s a very straightforward process. There is no point us developing technology that doesn’t work on site. At the end of the day, we have to provide a working tool that allows the workplace to function.”
