Manufacturing Biz #2 - Magazine - Page 8
JCB hydrogen machine makes
trade show debut in India
J
CB recently 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 hydrogenpowered backhoe loader prototype,
part of a £100 million investment, was
unveiled alongside JCB’s unique hydrogen
combustion engine. Speaking at EXCON,
JCB India’s CEO and Managing Director,
Deepak Shetty said: “It is fitting that
this 3DX backhoe loader, powered by a
hydrogen combustion engine, is being
unveiled in India just as COP28 draws to
a close in Dubai. As the world has been
assessing its collective progress towards
achieving its climate goals, JCB is showing
it has a practical and affordable technology
in place to decarbonise construction, both
in India and across the world.”
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India’s concerted efforts towards making
hydrogen a zero-carbon fuel of the future
is creating the conditions for a hydrogen
ecosystem through the National Hydrogen
Mission. 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."
- CB Chairman
Lord Bamford
M A N U FA C T U R I N G B I Z M A G A Z I N E | A P R I L 2 0 2 4
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.”
Prototype JCB hydrogen engines are
already powering backhoe loader and
Loadall telescopic handler machines under
test conditions in the UK.