Building and mining gear big Liebherr calls its hydrogen-powered wheel loader the primary of its sort on the planet. Now, the corporate says its loader will likely be a part of a pilot undertaking on the Kanzelstein quarry in Gratkorn, Austria.
First proven earlier this yr at Liebherr’s personal check 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 check 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 hold 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 … permits massive autos which might be troublesome to impress as a result of their excessive vitality 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 straight on the quarry.
Electrek’s Take
Earlier this yr, MAN Vans CEO Alexander Vlaskamp informed 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 isn’t out there for transportation and there’s no level in switching from diesel to hydrogen if the vitality supply isn’t 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 gasoline 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 if you happen to use pure gasoline or some other fossil sources to provide hydrogen,” Franz is quoted saying. “Right this moment, 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. Presently, now we have a flourishing and rising portion of that being extra sustainable. By extra sustainable, I imply blue and, finally, inexperienced hydrogen. In our opinion, [blue hydrogen production is needed] to get the infrastructure going so as to get the ecosystem.”
So, the place does that depart Liebherr and its STRABAG undertaking? Can we have a look at it as a real effort to advance (what they assume is) promising know-how, or do we expect it’s a cynical cash-grab for presidency hydrogen grants?
As if to reply that query, STRABAG CEO Klemens Haselsteiner stated, “We wish to be local weather impartial by 2040 … the one technique to obtain that is by constantly and comprehensively saving carbon dioxide, for instance, within the operation of development equipment.”
Scroll on all the way down to the feedback and tell us who you imagine.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Liebherr, through Heavy Tools Information.
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