Liebherr begins hydrogen wheeled loader trials in Germany

L 566 H prototype begins multi-year testing on bulk material handling operations at Bremerhaven port. Image: Liebherr

The machine is being tested by Georg Grube GmbH as part of a multi-year pilot project to assess hydrogen power in heavy-duty applications.

Operating at Bremerhaven’s fishing harbour, the wheeled loader is being used to feed conveyor systems, move sand, gravel and rock between storage areas, and load materials onto trucks.

Wolfgang Grube, owner and managing director of Georg Grube GmbH, said, “We didn’t want to wait until production-ready products were available, but rather to play an active role in shaping the development from the very start.

“It was crucial for us that the hydrogen-powered wheel loader performs the same tasks just as reliably as our conventional machines – but with low emissions.”

A dedicated hydrogen refuelling station has been commissioned at the Fraunhofer IWES Hydrogen Lab in Bremerhaven to support the project.

Hydrogen is produced locally using wind-generated electricity and an electrolyser operated by HY.City.Bremerhaven, before being transported to the refuelling station using mobile storage systems.

The trial forms part of H2B, a hydrogen development project supported by the EU and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

Liebherr said the results would help inform its development of alternative powertrains, with hydrogen being considered as a potential complement to battery-electric technology for heavy-duty machinery.

The company also acknowledged that wider adoption would require additional hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and sufficient demand to make it commercially viable.