The British government has just made a major regulatory change for agricultural and site machines supplied with hydrogen. Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads, approved at the end of April a change in the road vehicle (construction and use) 1986 regulations, now authorizing these devices to circulate on public roads, in the same way as cars, bus or hydrogen trucks.
Until now, this equipment, even powered by hydrogen, have not been allowed to roll on open roads. The change aims to offer operational parity with diesel vehicles, allowing the trip between sites and farms.
An important step for JCB
A major player in the sector, JCB has been working on the development of a range of vehicles equipped with hydrogen combustion engines for several years. The group claims to have invested more than 100 million pounds Sterling (around 117 million euros) in this technology.
Lord Anthony Bamford, president of JCB, described this advance as “historic” for the group and for the future of hydrogen in the construction sector and agriculture.
