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Liebherr excavator conversion

Liebherr 916 Litronic wheeled excavators were outfitted with a zepp.Y50 hydrogen fuel cell system and hydrogen storage solutions developed by zepp. The conversion from diesel to hydrogen-electric was carried out by vehicle modification specialist Terberg Techniek.

Hydrogen is gaining popularity in the construction equipment industry due to increasingly restrictive regulations on local emissions, such as CO2, noise, particulate matter, and especially NOx. Using zero-emission machinery allows contractors to bid on projects in urban or environmentally sensitive areas that may have previously been out of reach with traditional equipment. Hydrogen fuel cells provide a reliable and consistent power source for construction equipment, allowing for longer periods of operation and fewer interruptions for refuelling or recharging compared to battery-powered alternatives.

For this project, Terberg Techniek developed a conversion kit surrounding the Y50 fuel cell system. The use of this kit is not limited to this type of excavator, Terberg Techniek also plans to use it to convert other construction equipment from a diesel to a hydrogen-electric powertrain

Role of zepp.solutions

zepp.solutions was responsible for the development and supply of the heavy duty hydrogen fuel cell system and the onboard hydrogen storage system.

Project results

The excavators, owned by Dutch contracting company Jos Scholman, were finished mid-2022 and have undergone six months of operational testing. The results show that the excavators are reliable and perform as expected.