JCB hydrogen engine fitted to Mercedes truck

17 February 2023

JCB has installed one of its hydrogen internal combustion engines into a 7.5-tonne Mercedes truck.  

The manufacturer’s Chairman Lord Bamford said: “This is a giant leap forward for JCB and the rest of the world because we all have one goal: to reduce emissions. 

“The hydrogen engine we have installed in the truck is the same as those already powering prototype JCB machines, so there is no reason we should not see hydrogen combustion engines in vehicles used on the roads in the future, including cars.”

JCB says it has already manufactured 50 such power units in a project involving 150 engineers at its Power Systems factory in Derbyshire. They have been fitted to prototype backhoe loader and Loadall telescopic handler machines. 

The Mercedes truck was formerly diesel-powered and the adaptation to run on hydrogen took a matter of days. JCB believes this form of power could represent a quicker way to reach global carbon dioxide emissions targets.