OEMs offer forthright opinions on zero emissions for construction equipment

JCB’s new hydrogen-powered machines are discussed in the first Samoter 2023 webinar. Image: Samoter

Giovanni Pellizza of JCB said, while electromobility appears to be a good solution for compact equipment, with medium and large machines “the problem of operating autonomy and battery dimensions comes to the forefront; this is why we have been developing hydrogen technology for two years.”

Fabio Ghedini, owner of Ghedini Attachments, questioned what constitutes true electric equipment, saying he believed the majority of machines on the market are merely diesel models with engines removed and electrification added.

He said, “To develop our attachments [to operate with electric equipment]…machinery must also be truly electric and equipped with efficient batteries.”

Emanuele Viel of Komatsu said, “While hydrogen will play a fundamental role in the future, Komatsu believes that the present is hybrid – this technology, compared to conventional systems, reduces emissions on average by 30%. If the entire market were hybrid, this would be an impressive result.”

Further webinars

The second webinar in the run-up to Samoter covers the topic “Earthmoving and digital. A waste of time?” with the recording to be released shortly.

Subsequent webinars will focus on safety, the role of modern rental in the construction chain and will conclude with the webinar discussing photovoltaics in quarries.