German-Swiss equipment giant Liebherr has launched R 9XX H2, its first excavator powered by a hydrogen combustion engine.
The new excavator will be on show this week at Bauma 2022, a construction machinery trade fair taking place in Munich.
At the heart of the new excavator sits Liebherr’s first hydrogen engine, the H966.
According to the manufacturer, the hydrogen drive cuts overall CO2 emissions by 70% and virtually completely eliminates NOx and CO2 tailpipe emissions.
As the next step of research, Liebherr is also testing additional hydrogen-based drive solutions, such as H2 direct injection.
According to Liebherr, direct injection offers a higher power density than the traditional H2 intake manifold injection, making it particularly ideal for heavy-duty applications in tough work situations like mining and construction.
Project manager Henrik Weitze from Liebherr-France SAS said: “The experiments conducted in Colmar were quite convincing. Future benefits from this technology, particularly in the most difficult situations, are numerous.”
There is no claimed power difference between Liebherr H966 hydrogen engine and a diesel-powered internal combustion engine.
Image credit: Liebherr
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