JCB’s hydrogen-fuelled engine will be on public display for the first time at a UK agricultural event during the Royal Highland Show, which takes place from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 June at Ingliston, Edinburgh.
The engine will be a centrepiece of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Show Society’s (RHASS) Presidential Solutions Hub, highlighting solutions being developed to help meet net-zero climate targets.
The £100m hydrogen engine project has been a work in progress for nearly four years, with 150 engineers working on it.
This has produced a power unit that matches the performance characteristics of the company’s DieselMAX engine, used in JCB’s iconic backhoe loaders, Loadall telehandlers and other JCB equipment.
Positive results have been obtained through testing 130 assembled evaluation units. These are now being tested in real-world situations by several plant hire companies.
In January, JCB confirmed several vehicle licensing authorities across Europe had certified the hydrogen-fuelled engine for sale, with others set to follow suit.
In April, the UK government paved the way for a change in road vehicle regulations, allowing hydrogen-fuelled agricultural and construction machinery to use public highways.
In May, the engine received full EU type approval, allowing its use in JCB and other OEM off-highway machinery as it complies with EU stage V emissions rules.
George Lyon, president of the Royal Highland society, said: “Over the past year, the RHASS presidency has been promoting new, innovative solutions that farmers can use to meet the challenge of net zero.
“We are delighted that JCB is contributing to the Solutions Hub at the show with its new hydrogen engine, which represents an opportunity to switch to a “green” fuel while retaining familiar combustion engine technology.”