Hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) technology and its potential application in construction equipment is being increasingly talked about in certain circles, but there are questions surrounding how cost effective it can be in real-world applications. To date, it’s mostly being used in lift trucks, offering lower operating costs, reduced emissions, improved reliability, and much faster refueling compared with battery charging/swapping.
The concept is fairly simple; HFCs essentially combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, which runs a motor. The only byproducts are heat and water.
The fuel cells are compact too, taking up less space than batteries, giving equipment manufacturers more room to play with in machine designs. Unlike traditional lead-acid batteries, hydrogen fuel cells have no power degradation, and refueling takes about three minutes, much like an internal combustion engine.
So what’s the downside? Expense, for one. The cost is higher than more time-tested technologies, but experts report that will come down over time as adoption increases. Another positive is that there is no grid dependency and solar power can be harnessed to make hydrogen on site so, in concept, it could be a sustainable technology.
Some companies are working diligently to make HFC a reality on construction sites. Cummins, for example, recently acquired Hydrogenics for its fuel cell production capabilities. Their technology is being tested on trucks and rail and will be applicable to industrial use at some time in the future, Nendick says.
“Hydrogen as a power solution is very exciting and there is certainly a future for the development of hydrogen fuels cells in equipment in the future,” he states.
“Cummins is investing in long-term hydrogen capability. Following the Hydrogenics acquisition we have also developed relationships with Loop Energy and NPROXX, looking at hydrogen storage and transportation as well as production.”
There are challenges with this technology, of course. Haberland at MAN notes that hydrogen is very difficult to store and distribute because its atomic structure is very volatile. “Over time it dissipates,” he explains. “It requires a very complex and expensive storage infrastructure on the vehicle itself.”
He also adds, “It needs to be stated that this technology is only beneficial if you take the electricity to produce the hydrogen out of renewable sources. If you use a fossil fuel to do it, then it’s not a green technology at all.”
JCB recently announced that it has developed what it claims to be the construction industry’s first ever working prototype of a hydrogen-powered excavator.
The 20 tonne 220X excavator powered by a hydrogen fuel cell has been undergoing testing at JCB’s quarry proving grounds for more than 12 months.
JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said, “The development of the first hydrogen fuelled excavator is very exciting as we strive towards a zero carbon world.
“In the coming months, JCB will continue to develop and refine this technology with advanced testing of our prototype machine and we will continue to be at the forefront of technologies designed to build a zero carbon future.”
The 10 largest coal producers and exporters in Indonesia:
- Indo Tambangraya Megah (ITMG)
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