The company Liebherr says they have created the first-ever hydrogen-powered wheel loader, which they plan to be a part of their pilot project in the Kanzelstein quarry in Gratkorn, Austria. For the next couple of years, Liebherr’s partner Strabag will be testing the L556H prototype daily, which is hydrogen-powered. The Hydrogen-powered wheel loader should save up to 100 metric tons of CO2 each year. The CEO of Strabag, Klemens Haselsteiner, says they want to be climate-neutral by 2040.
The new wheel loader isn’t powered by fuel but by burning hydrogen instead of diesel. They have a hydrogen filling station at the quarry where they are testing to refill the loader. The technical director of Liebherr Dr-ing, Herbert Pfab, said that the technology allows large vehicles that are difficult to electrify because of their high energy demand to be used without emitting carbon dioxide.
The two companies have had success with electrifying smaller vehicles, but larger ones are much harder to electrify. Since the larger ones can’t use batteries, they use hydrogen instead.
The project was launched by Leonore Gewessler, who is Austria’s environment minister, Klemens Haselsteiner, who is the CEO of Strabag, and Jan Liebherr, who is the chairman of Liebherr international. Gewessler said she was glad to see companies pushing ahead with pilot projects, especially with vehicles that are difficult to electrify, such as construction. The hydrogen engines that Liebherr made will not only emit no greenhouse gases and barely any nitrogen oxides but also give out high amounts of efficiency.
Even though green hydrogen is good for the environment, it is still a bit expensive, which is why other companies use fossil fuels, which they call brown hydrogen. Estimates suggest that by the year 2030, hydrogen demands will reach 130 million tons, which means companies will create more brown hydrogen.
The pilot project shows that reducing emissions is still possible even in areas where it is difficult. Using solar, water, and wind energy can progress Austria’s goal of climate neutrality. Gewessler says that green hydrogen is an important part of our future energy and that it helps replace fossil fuels, especially in industry.
Related Stories:
- https://www.constructionequipment.com/earthmoving/news/55235665/liebherr-usa-co-liebherr-stabag-complete-first-tests-of-hydrogen-wheel-loader
- https://electrek.co/2024/10/20/liebherr-announces-worlds-first-large-hydrogen-wheel-loader/
- https://interestingengineering.com/energy/hydrogen-powered-heavy-loader-liebherr
- https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/strabag-and-liebherr-unveil-worlds-first-hydrogen-powered-wheel-loader/
- https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/42397/worlds-first-hydrogen-powered-large-wheel-loader-prototype-being-tested-in-pilot-project
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