Heavy construction equipment powered by a modified combustion engine that burns hydrogen instead of diesel will be tested for two years in Austria.

Construction and mining equipment giant Liebherr is working with STRABAG, the largest construction company in Austria, to pilot the world's first hydrogen-burning loader prototype in a two-year test project at STRABAG's Kanzelstein quarry.

Liebherr's hydrogen-powered L 566 loader is serving as a proof-of-concept pilot for a loader equipped with an internal combustion engine that has been modified to burn hydrogen instead of diesel, which is expected to prevent the burning of about 37,500 liters of diesel and lower carbon dioxide emission by an estimated 100 metric tons per year.

"The technology also enables large vehicles that are difficult to electrify due to their high energy demand to be operated without emitting carbon dioxide," explained Herbert Pfab, engineering and technical director of Liebherr.

The pilot aims to demonstrate how emissions can be reduced in a difficult-to-decarbonize sector through the use of green alternative fuels.

A fueling station at STRABAG's quarry, supplied by Energie Steiermark, will provide the green hydrogen required to refuel the loader. With the success of projects like this, climate-neutral hydrogen produced with water and renewable energy can be demonstrated as a key enabler for achieving the goal of climate neutrality set by Austria's legislators.

This combats an important issue in the slow adoption of hydrogen: much of the global production of hydrogen is "grey," meaning it is generated using natural gas or other fossil fuels that produce carbon during the process, negating much of the progress toward net zero emissions.

Leonore Gewessler, Austria's climate action minister, praised the two companies' cooperation in testing the viability of hydrogen technology.

"I am pleased to see innovative companies pushing ahead with pilot projects, especially in forms of mobility that are difficult to electrify, such as those in the construction sector," she said. "Green hydrogen is an indispensable element of our future energy. As an important and valuable energy source, it helps replace fossil natural gas – especially in industry."

Liebherr's hydrogen engine is designed to emit zero greenhouse gases and almost no nitrogen oxides while maintaining excellent efficiency. Prototypes are manufactured by Liebherr's components division engine plant in Switzerland.

"We want to be climate neutral by 2040," said STRABAG CEO Klemens Haselsteiner. "The only way to achieve this is by consistently and comprehensively saving carbon dioxide, for example, in the operation of construction machinery."