The construction industry is no stranger to the use of energy sources, with electricity, natural gas and oil being the three most important. Recently, Hyundai Motors and Hyundai Mobis have teamed up with Hyundai Construction Equipment to design, manufacture and evaluate the performance of excavators and forklifts powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Diesel is also a popular fuel source for passenger cars in countries such as Italy, England, India and more. JCB has also developed the first hydrogen-powered excavator for the construction industry.
Hyundai CE and JCB have both taken the step to move forward with their hydrogen-powered construction equipment. To reduce fuel consumption and costly vehicle repairs, it is essential to perform equipment repairs promptly. The total cost of fuel can be divided by the uptime of the equipment to determine the cost of fuel per hour. Lowering fuel consumption will help reduce emissions to the environment, in addition to reducing construction costs.
Hyundai CE has been focusing on developing “green” construction equipment and machinery in recent years. These durable motors have increased power and torque to carry heavy loads on multiple types of terrain. The construction industry has no control over the cost of diesel, but there are certain practices that can help reduce fuel consumption and operating costs. ClearFlame Engine Technologies has recently matched the torque and power of a commercial diesel engine using ethanol, a renewable biofuel, instead of diesel fuel.
This delivers more than 500 horsepower and more than 1,850 pound-feet of torque while eliminating the need for additional subsequent treatment. As governments intensify their efforts to decarbonize their environments and economies, many OEMs are making fuel advances with their new machinery and shifting their focus from diesel to methane, ethanol, lithium batteries and hydrogen. When it comes to construction vehicles, it is important to evaluate all fuel sources thoroughly as part of your construction plans. Compared to lithium batteries which have been affected by structural problems that have limited several attempts to increase battery capacity, hydrogen fuel cells are much easier to expand making them a much more logical option for forklifts or large excavators.
