Building and mining tools large Liebherr calls its hydrogen-powered wheel loader the primary of its variety on the planet. Now, the corporate says its loader will probably be a part of a pilot undertaking on the Kanzelstein quarry in Gratkorn, Austria.
First proven earlier this yr at Liebherr’s personal take a look at facility, the brand new undertaking is meant to function a proof of idea pilot between Liebherr and STRABAG, Austria’s largest development firm. STRABAG will use the L 566 H wheel loader prototype in a two-year take a look at undertaking.
To refresh your reminiscence, the brand new Liebherr wheel loader isn’t powered by a fuel-cell. As an alternative, it’s powered by a specifically modified combustion engine that burns hydrogen as an alternative of diesel. The businesses estimate the engine would preserve as much as 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being emitted annually, akin to about 37,500 liters of diesel.
“The know-how … allows massive autos which are tough to impress resulting from their excessive power demand to be operated with out emitting carbon dioxide,” explains Dr.-Ing. Herbert Pfab, technical director of Liebherr.
A hydrogen filling station, provided by Energie Steiermark, will present the inexperienced hydrogen required to refuel the wheel loader instantly on the quarry.
Electrek’s Take
Earlier this yr, MAN Vans CEO Alexander Vlaskamp advised the Spanish-language journal Expansión (translated from Spanish), “It’s one factor to have the know-how and one other factor for the know-how to be viable. Inexperienced hydrogen is just not obtainable for transportation and there’s no level in switching from diesel to hydrogen if the power supply is just not sustainable.”
And that’s an issue, since there are presently no carbon emissions discount advantages from utilizing hydrogen as a gas. That’s as a result of the overwhelming majority of these 90 million tons is being produced by pure fuel and fossil fuels.
That’s not simply my take, both. That’s what Mahle CEO Arnd Franz is telling individuals.
“We are able to’t obtain any CO2 emission reductions when you use pure fuel or every other fossil sources to provide hydrogen,” Franz is quoted saying. “In the present day, the overwhelming portion of hydrogen manufacturing worldwide is round 90 million tons. That quantity goes to go as much as 130 million tons till 2030. At present, now we have a flourishing and rising portion of that being extra sustainable. By extra sustainable, I imply blue and, ultimately, inexperienced hydrogen. In our opinion, [blue hydrogen production is needed] to get the infrastructure going with the intention to get the ecosystem.”
So, the place does that depart Liebherr and its STRABAG undertaking? Will we take a look at it as a real effort to advance (what they suppose is) promising know-how, or do we predict it’s a cynical cash-grab for presidency hydrogen grants?
As if to reply that query, STRABAG CEO Klemens Haselsteiner mentioned, “We wish to be local weather impartial by 2040 … the one technique to obtain that is by persistently and comprehensively saving carbon dioxide, for instance, within the operation of development equipment.”
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SOURCE | IMAGES: Liebherr, by way of Heavy Gear Information.
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