JCB and Hydrogen engines, a significant investment announcement today.

[stoatsngroats]

Most recent announcement at the BBC today
JCB

I seem to recall watching their development of EV and hydrogen-converted Diesel engines a month or so ago (YouTube ), but it appears they are investing £100 million in this venture.
As I recall, they believe the standard Diesel engine can be easily converted to run on hydrogen, and at a significantly lower cost when compared to BEVs.
This might kick-start a renewed development for continuing ICE vehicles whilst stopping the reliance on fossil fuels.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

All it needs next is a way of producing hydrogen economically that doesn't emit more pollutants with a greater global warming potential than the fossil fuels they replace.

 

[Drago]

JCB have been doing a lot of research on fuel cells and, as you say, hydrogen burning diesel engines. Battery technology doesnt scale up well so isn't as useful for lorries, excavators, earth mkvers, ships, etc, but fuel cells are perfect...if they can be manufactured at an economically viable price.

Hydrogen is a funny thing to make. The press whittle about hydrogen which may be sourced as a petrochemichal by product. Thats hardly green, they bleat.

But at the moment its just being burned off, so why not make use of it? Even if people stopped using cars tomorrow there will always be large scale oil extraction and refining for fertilisers, plastics, etc, and to just waste the hydrogen by product because it hasn't been made from renewable energy seems barking to me.

Ineos have spotted that and are working to capture all their hydrogen by products and make money selling it. They're also working on fuels cells for the Grenadier, so thats a nive bit of joined up business practice for them. As aforementioned, the market for their chemical stock will never go away, so they can make good money capturing the hydrogen instead of simply flaring it away. If that means lorries, tractors and diggers can move away from diesel then thats all to the good.

 

[cougie uk]

Might work for industrial use but electric is the way forward for consumer vehicles.

 

[stoatsngroats]

Might work for industrial use but electric is the way forward for consumer vehicles.

Yes, I agree, and to the point by @ClichéGuevara too, but it’s an interesting potential development.

I know Mercedes have 20+ ton trucks and single decker bus/coach soon to be available, both EVs, and BYD in China too have many EV products, but a Green alternative is good in my opinion as it’ll spread the load for vehicle production across the world.

I realise of course that reduced use of motor vehicles is the better way to go, and increased public or mass-transport, as well as walking & cycling, but this requirea larger change in urban environments.

Looking farther ahead, concentrating populations into more localised areas will undoubtedly progress… there’s something going on in Saudi Arabia (I think) which looks at doing this on a linear city already.

With population movements across the known world likely to change, it may bring the desire to be less ‘individual vehicle’ based, and more easily able to move around locally without need ‘one’s own car’.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Hydrogen is an ideal replacement for heavy industry which often operate in extreme conditions and in remote locations. It's good to see some sensible investment in this area.

 

[mjr]

.
This might kick-start a renewed development for continuing ICE vehicles whilst stopping the reliance on fossil fuels.

How? Does it not run on fossil-fuel-made hydrogen? It looks more like the latest greenwash being applied to the planet-burners.

 

[cougie uk]

How? Does it not run on fossil-fuel-made hydrogen? It looks more like the latest greenwash being applied to the planet-burners.

And how are they transporting the hydrogen around ? Dirty great tankers I bet ?
When you can just get clean electric out of the mains.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

And how are they transporting the hydrogen around ? Dirty great tankers I bet ?
When you can just get clean electric out of the mains.

Only if you can get the mains upgraded, and with minimal environmental damage, including the aggregate shipped in for haul roads and cable laying, and can build the green generation equipment without damaging environments that are often in developing regions.

 

[cougie uk]

Only if you can get the mains upgraded, and with minimal environmental damage, including the aggregate shipped in for haul roads and cable laying, and can build the green generation equipment without damaging environments that are often in developing regions.

Even Kingston Upon Hull has electricity now surely ?

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Even Kingston Upon Hull has electricity now surely ?

Very few places currently have the existing infrastructure required for the required roll out of EV's, never mind the generating capacity from green sources.

 

[stoatsngroats]

How? Does it not run on fossil-fuel-made hydrogen? It looks more like the latest greenwash being applied to the planet-burners.

And how are they transporting the hydrogen around ? Dirty great tankers I bet ?
When you can just get clean electric out of the mains.

Have a search for Green Hydrogen, on Forbes, Youtube, even Google, and see what may be possible for Green hydrogen production.
My supposition was that ‘it might kickstart….’ Which, as a concerned person, looks promising.
When I consider the whole chain behind pumping £1.40/Ltr of petroleum product into my fuel tank, and drive past people emitting the known pollution which petrol & diesel engines do, I consider that the speed of development for alternatives is a great thing.
It appears Mr Bamford and many others do too….

Lamppost charging

Green Hydrogen Funded!

Green Hydrogen Production, Scotland

 

[Milzy]

What about the collapse of the petro dollar?

 

[stoatsngroats]

What about that? Alternative investment, research and development?
Pensions etc…. As above?

 

[slowmotion]

Handling, transporting and storing hydrogen safely isn't exactly a trivial problem. Its way more dangerous than diesel. A mixture above 4% in air is highly explosive and it doesn't take much to set off the reaction.