Amidst the debate about a ban on the internal combustion engine, British JCB has a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine approved in the Netherlands.
Last Friday, JCB announced that the company has received approval for a hydrogen-powered combustion engine in the Netherlands.
The approval means that the engine can be sold in 11 countries around Europe for the time being. It has cost JBC over 100 million British pounds, the work of 150 people and more than 3 years to develop the engine.
The company writes this in a press release .
– The formal type approval/certification paves the way for the sale and use of hydrogen engines throughout the UK and Europe.
"I couldn't have hoped for a better start to the year. Most of all, I'm delighted for our team of British engineers who have worked tirelessly to get this far," says JBC Chairman Anthony Bamford.
JCB, which normally develops large construction machinery, expects more countries to follow suit with approval so that sales can spread to the rest of Europe.
In addition to being approved in the Netherlands, Germany, England, Ireland, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Poland, Finland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have approved the new hydrogen engine.
It is unclear why Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries are not on the list. However, JCB expects more approvals to be in place during 2025.
The company also says that it has already built 130 engines that are currently in a test phase. They are used in telescopic loaders and generators.
While the first hydrogen engine has now been approved in the EU, several car and truck brands are working on the technology. Volvo Trucks plans to use the technology for heavy transport.
While BMW and Toyota are looking into whether there is any point in burning hydrogen in regular passenger cars, the two car brands are already working together on a hydrogen car that will be on the streets in 2028. Read more about it here .
