Belgian Companies Unveil ‘World’s 1st H2-powered Excavator’

Belgian companies CMB.TECH (a hydrogen solutions firm) and Luyckx (a crane equipment manufacturer) have recently presented the “first hydrogen-powered dual fuel excavator,” which is meant to provide gradual ecological development within the heavy construction and earthmoving sector.

With this machine, companies within the sector can embark on energy transition with today’s machines without being permanently dependent on the availability of hydrogen, said an official statement.

CMB.TECH and Luyckx state that this is the first solution within the entire heavy excavator sector that allows concrete greening without limiting the machine’s power or autonomy. Traditional fuel remains available and the machine can continue to operate if the supply of hydrogen is not available.

In other words, the machine can be purchased and put into service today, even if the hydrogen issue for the customer or site has not yet been fully worked out, said CMB.TECH. With these first generation dual fuel machines, CO₂ emissions can be reduced by up to 50%, the firm added.

Besides the excavator, CMB.TECH has also unveiled its new mobile hydrogen refueller. It is said to deliver up to 600 kg of green hydrogen at 350 bar to the consumer. This works for excavators, but also for other applications such as trucks, port equipment, ships and gensets. The mobile refuelling station is the answer to hydrogen supply in maritime and industrial applications, claims  the Belgian company.

“Driven by the wishes of our end users and fleet owners, we launched an own initiative feasibility study with regard to possible alternative solutions that help to reduce CO₂ emissions, make the machine park more sustainable and do business in a socially responsible way. We have been looking for the right solutions for several years. The challenge was mainly in the area of energy requirements for heavy machinery. Given this vision, the collaboration with CMB.TECH was started in order to convert a 37 ton excavator (Hitachi ZX350LC-7) to a dual fuel engine (hydrogen/diesel), thus taking a first concrete step towards greening the sector,” said Jos Luyckx, CEO of Luyckx.

“The additional cost of the machines in the sector is rather limited, with the kgs of hydrogen used leading directly to CO₂ reduction. As of today, we offer the applications to enable up to 8 tonnes of CO₂ reduction per site per day, anywhere in the Benelux, without operational restrictions at the lowest possible cost,” said Roy Campe, CTO of CMB.TECH.