Liebherr premiere first large wheel loader with hydrogen engine
Prototype wheel loader presented at Liebherr’s Bischofshofen plant, plus first hydrogen filling station in Salzburg
THE world’s first large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine was recently presented to high-ranking representatives from politics and business at a trade event at Liebherr’s plant in Bischofshofen, Austria. The event included a series of talks on the topic of alternative drives, although the focus was on Liebherr’s machine show, where the hydrogen wheel loader was demonstrated for the first time in practical use.
At the same time as this world première, the first hydrogen filling station in the state of Salzburg was inaugurated, representing an important milestone in the use of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source.
The L 566 H from Liebherr is the world’s first prototype large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine. Following extensive studies, this groundbreaking technology was identified as the optimal solution for operating large vehicles that are difficult to electrify without CO2 emissions.
For smaller vehicles up to about 15 tonnes, battery-electric solutions are often suitable. However, the situation is different with larger machines with an operating weight of up to 40 tonnes and high energy requirements. Hydrogen reciprocating piston engines prove to be ideal in this case.
These hydrogen engines are manufactured at the engine plant of Liebherr’s Components product segment in Bulle, Switzerland. They allow not only zero emissions of greenhouse gases and almost no nitrogen oxides but are also highly efficient. Another advantage is that the interfaces are comparable to those of a diesel engine – both thermally and mechanically. This represents a significant step forward in the development of sustainable large-scale machinery.
As part of the development of the hydrogen wheel loader, Liebherr Bischofshofen opened their own hydrogen filling station – the first of its kind in the entire state of Salzburg. An important strategic partner in this project is Maximator Hydrogen, who not only manufactured the newly opened filling station, but are also a research partner of Liebherr. Together, they are working on mobile filling facilities so that machinery can be refuelled directly at construction sites.
‘To make progress in hydrogen research, we need to have access to hydrogen. We built this filling station to further advance our goals for decarbonizing construction machinery,’ said Dr-Ing Herbert Pfab, chief technical officer of Liebherr Bischofshofen.
