JCB unveiled its pioneering hydrogen combustion technology at EXCON, India’s premier construction equipment trade show taking place in Bengaluru. In its first-ever trade show appearance anywhere in the world, the JCB hydrogen-powered backhoe loader prototype, part of a £100 million investment, was unveiled alongside JCB’s unique hydrogen combustion engine.

In advance of the EXCON exhibition, JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said: “India has a real opportunity to put hydrogen at the very centre of its net zero future – it is a clean zero carbon fuel which can be produced from renewable energy. India is endowed with sun and water resources, the two key elements required for producing hydrogen. It is a fuel that allows for fast refuelling and is a mobile fuel solution, in that fuel can be taken to the machine. Our machines work long hours, particularly in India, so minimising downtime to recharge or refuel is essential. Hydrogen is a perfect solution for India, particularly for the earthmoving sector.”

Lord Bamford added: “Fossil fuels are not the future. Developed from first principles, the JCB hydrogen engine has been designed to optimise the combustion of hydrogen, so that it can deliver the same power, the same torque, and the same efficiency that powers JCB machines today, but in a zero-carbon way.”

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Prototype JCB hydrogen engines are already powering backhoe loader and Loadall telescopic handler machines under test conditions in the UK.