Liebherr and STRABAG test hydrogen wheel loader
29 October 2024
In a project that recently started at the Kanzelstein quarry in Gratkorn, Austrian construction company STRABAG is testing Liebherr’s large hydrogen-powered wheel loader over a period of two years. Energie Steiermark will supply green hydrogen for its own hydrogen filling station at the quarry. The L 566 H wheel loader is the world’s first large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine.
As one of the biggest manufacturers of construction machinery, Liebherr has provided STRABAG with the L 566 H prototype as a test machine. The large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine should save up to 100 tonnes of CO2 each year, corresponding to about 37,500 liters of diesel.
The L 566 H from Liebherr is the world’s first prototype large wheel loader with a hydrogen engine. The hydrogen engines are manufactured by the Liebherr components division’s own engine plant in Bulle, Switzerland. These engines will not only make it possible to emit zero greenhouse gases and almost no nitrogen oxides, but will also offer excellent efficiency.
With the 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 can be a key enabler for achieving the goal of climate neutrality set by Austria’s politicians.
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