Hydrogen diggers permitted to drive on UK roads after law change

UK-based manufacturer JCB, which has invested £100 million in the development of a hydrogen combustion engine to power its machines, welcomed the news.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood signed a statutory instrument in early April, ahead of an amendment to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to enable the road use of hydrogen-fuelled non-road mobile machinery.

The legislative change came into force on 28 April and JCB celebrated by driving a hydrogen-fuelled backhoe loader past the Palace of Westminster.

JCB has been operating prototype hydrogen-powered Loadall telescopic handlers, backhoe loaders and generators on sites near Birmingham and is now testing a range of equipment in partnership with rental companies and leading contractors across the UK.

Greenwood said, “We’re supporting the UK’s Plan for Change by working closely with brilliant British companies like JCB to harness the opportunities of the net zero transition, driving innovation and creating jobs to put money in the pockets of hardworking people and secure our future.”

JCB chairman Anthony Bamford, who has driven JCB’s initiative to develop hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines, said, “The JCB team has done amazing work to develop a hydrogen combustion engine. It has already been given resounding backing from our customers who have been evaluating the technology; they say it is simple to use and performs as well as diesel counterparts.

“We are delighted that the government has now endorsed the use of hydrogen in machinery. There has been a lot of work to get to this point. It is truly a historic day for JCB and a milestone moment for the use of hydrogen as a zero-carbon fuel in the construction and agricultural machinery industries. We now have the legislation that allows hydrogen powered machines to drive on the road between sites and between farms.”