JCB, the British multinational corporation, has taken a significant step towards its £100 million hydrogen project with the successful installation of one of its hydrogen engines into a 7.5-tonne Mercedes-Truck truck. The retrofit was completed in just a few days, and JCB Chairman, Lord Anthony Bamford, who has been leading the project, was one of the first test drivers of the truck.

The hydrogen engine used in the truck is the same as those already in use in JCB’s prototype construction and agricultural machines. JCB’s hydrogen internal combustion engines have been manufactured in a project involving 150 engineers, and there are already 50 such engines powering JCB machines.

This latest retrofit represents a significant milestone in JCB’s journey towards a hydrogen-powered future. The switch from diesel to hydrogen demonstrates that this form of power could provide a much quicker solution to achieving global carbon dioxide emissions targets.

”This is a giant leap forward for JCB and the rest of the world because we all have one goal: to reduce emissions. The hydrogen engine we have installed in the truck is the same as those already powering prototype JCB machines, so there is no reason we should not see hydrogen combustion engines in vehicles used on the roads in the future, including cars” said Lord Bamford, JCB Chairman. 

Last year, JCB unveiled a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit, providing a way to refuel its machines on site. JCB’s hydrogen internal combustion engines are manufactured at JCB Power Systems located in Derbyshire, England.