In logistics, the transformation towards zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) based on hydrogen is underway. In the case of construction machinery, the change started later – now it has come to a standstill. One reason is the cost. In 2025, one kilowatt hour for commercial customers in Germany costs about twenty-five cents, but one kilogram of hydrogen cost ten to fifteen euros. This means that, in terms of usable energy, electricity is significantly cheaper.
Availability: a common problem for electricity and hydrogen
And then you have to obtain the hydrogen in the first place. “Above all, due to the lack of availability, the topic of hydrogen is still a long way off for us,” says Sonja Reimann, press spokesperson at the construction machinery dealer and Caterpillar distribution partner Zeppelin Baumaschinen. Currently, announcements and planned investments in this area are being withdrawn again. Caterpillar may present a prototype at the Bauma trade fair in 2028. So far, the company has focused in the ZEV context on battery-electric drives for large machines such as wheel loaders with fifty tonnes.
But this gives rise to another challenge: the power supply at construction sites is often critical, according to Reimann. Nevertheless, customer interest in this topic is surprisingly high. That is why the company is monitoring this market, for example, to see which solutions for charging infrastructure at construction sites are being discussed or how the power supply on mobile construction sites can generally be improved. For these applications, it would basically be an advantage if construction machinery were operated with hydrogen and thus did not place an additional burden on the power supply.
Hydrogen concepts among construction machinery manufacturers
At least, companies and research institutions continue to devote themselves to the development and testing of hydrogen-powered construction machinery. For example, Liebherr already presented prototypes of two hydrogen combustion engines at Bauma in 2022. In 2024, the prototype of the L566 H wheel loader was presented at the Liebherr plant in Bischofshofen. In October of the same year, it went into test operation in a quarry operated by Strabag. It is refueled at a specially established filling station in the quarry. However, there was no further word on the series production originally announced for 2025. This is not surprising, as the test operation is scheduled to continue until October 2026.
In addition, the industry is exploring the possible uses of fuel cells. For example, General Motors and construction machinery manufacturer Komatsu are working together on a hydrogen fuel cell module for an electric dump truck, as reported at this year's Bauma. Komatsu has also developed, as a concept machine, a medium-sized hydraulic excavator with a hydrogen fuel cell system. Companies such as Strabag SE, one of the largest construction companies in Europe, are ensuring that there is enough pressure in the innovation pipeline. The Austrian company, which also includes Züblin in Stuttgart, aims to become climate neutral across its entire value chain by 2040. This also includes the operation of construction machinery.
Many manufacturers and dealers are skeptical but prefer not to express this publicly. A dealer of construction machinery from well-known manufacturers, who wishes to remain anonymous, states: “Hydrogen is a technology topic for the future. It will probably take a very long time before it finds widespread acceptance and becomes commercially usable on a large scale. Reasons for this include, for example, the current lack of scalability, the lack of supply infrastructure, and the high electricity price.” And at Sennebogen, a well-known manufacturer of electric cranes in Straubing, it is said, upon explicit request: “Hydrogen concept engines that are presented at trade fairs are individual concept solutions that work under laboratory conditions, but are anything but ready for the market. At the moment, they therefore function more as marketing tools, intended to demonstrate the innovative strength of individual manufacturers and the industry.” Achieving market maturity will still take a lot of time, as the industry is still at the very beginning of the learning curve.
Expensive powertrains as a risk for users On the user side, demolition waste recycler Feess in Kirchheim/Teck, who received the German Environmental Award in 2016, wants to set a trend with its fleet of vehicles and machinery. The company owns around one hundred construction machines such as excavators and wheel loaders as well as more than fifty trucks. Senior manager Walter Feess has therefore also looked into hydrogen. He believes the time is not yet ripe. First, he wants to invest in stationary electric cranes at his recycling yards, which should ideally be powered by self-produced PV electricity. His forecast: “In the long run, it will probably come down to a broad spectrum of drive solutions depending on the specific application, i.e., electric, battery, hydrogen, and diesel in parallel.” In any case, the current investment climate in the construction industry is unfavorable, and passing on additional costs for significantly more expensive drivetrains beyond the conventional combustion engine in offers endangers competitiveness.
© FEESS
