Liebherr and STRABAG test large hydrogen wheel loader
L 566 H prototype hydrogen wheel loader starts two-year trial at Kanzelstein Quarry in Austria
STRABAG and Liebherr are taking important steps towards a decarbonized construction site. In a project that recently started at Kanzelstein Quarry, in Gratkorn, Austria, STRABAG are testing Liebherr’s L 566 H prototype wheel loader – the world’s first large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine – over a two-year period.
Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology; Clemens Haselsteiner, chief executive officer of STRABAG; Jan Liebherr, chairman of the board of directors of Liebherr-International AG; and Martin Graf, director of Energie Steiermark, attended a special event at the quarry to mark the start of the project.
In addition to technical presentations and a tour of the quarry, the hydrogen-powered wheel loader was demonstrated in operation. For the next two years, STRABAG will test the L 566 H prototype on a daily basis. A hydrogen filling station is being built to refuel the wheel loader directly at the quarry, with energy suppliers Energie Steiermark providing the green hydrogen required for this.
Praising Liebherr’s exemplary commitment to reducing greenhouse and other harmful gases, and their co-operation with STRABAG on testing hydrogen technology, Leonore Gewessler said: ‘I am pleased to see innovative companies pushing ahead with pilot projects, especially in forms of mobility that are difficult to electrify, such as those in the construction sector. The co-operation with STRABAG, one of the foremost construction companies in Europe, shows what an important and positive development the Liebherr drive technology is.’
As one of the biggest manufacturers of construction machinery, Liebherr were delighted to hear this appreciation and acknowledgement of the path they have chosen. According to the company, the L 566 H prototype test machine should save up to 100 tonnes of CO2 each year, corresponding to about 37,500 litres of diesel. ‘This technology will enable large vehicles that are difficult to electrify due to their high energy demand to be operated without CO2,’ commented Dr.-Ing. Herbert Pfab, technical director of Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen GmbH.
The hydrogen engines, which are manufactured by the Liebherr components division’s own engine plant in Bulle, Switzerland, will not only make it possible to emit zero greenhouse gases and almost no nitrogen oxides, but will also offer high levels of efficiency.
With this pilot project, Liebherr and STRABAG are demonstrating how emissions can be reduced in a sector that is difficult to decarbonize by means of alternative fuels. Climate-neutral hydrogen produced with wind and water power or solar energy is seen as a key enabler for achieving the goal of climate neutrality set by Austria’s politicians.
‘Green hydrogen is an indispensable element of our future energy. As an important and valuable energy source, it helps replace fossil natural gas – especially in industry,’ said climate action minister Leonore Gewessler. ‘What makes the two-year test deployment at the Gratkorn quarry such a showcase project is, above all, the joint approach of Liebherr and STRABAG: two companies that are actively pushing decarbonization forward.’
