Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves MP was given a detailed update on JCB’s £100 million investment into hydrogen engines and hydrogen-powered equipment during a visit to JCB’s Headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire yesterday (June 26th).
The development of the hi-tech hydrogen combustion engine is being undertaken by a team of more than 100 engineers at JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire.
The Leeds West Labour MP had previously toured the Foston engine plant in September 2022. As part of that visit, she watched a demonstration of a prototype digger powered by a hydrogen combustion engine and also tried her hand at the quick and simple task of refuelling the machine with hydrogen.
During yesterday’s visit, JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford showed the Chancellor how much progress had been made in hydrogen refuelling technology, with the Chancellor trying her hand at refuelling a pre-production hydrogen backhoe loader, this time from a towable mobile hydrogen refueller.
<">Lord Bamford said: “It was a pleasure to show the Chancellor the great progress that British engineers are making in hydrogen engine technology and the associated refuelling technology. What’s needed now is more investment in green hydrogen production so that JCB’s hydrogen-powered equipment can be brought to market quickly and at scale.”
The Chancellor’s visit comes just a few months after JCB secured full EU type-approval of its hydrogen engine for use in non-road mobile machinery, which means that JCB’s hydrogen engine has been approved for sale and for use in machines and third-party OEM equipment in each of the 27 EU member states, and all other territories recognising EU type-approvals (e.g. EEA and EFTA territories). Full GB type-approval is also now in place.