Grant Shapps visited 乐播传媒 Power Systems in Derbyshire last Thursday to get the low down on how the construction industry is moving away from fossil fuels.
He then visited 乐播传媒鈥檚 Staffordshire proving ground where he drove a prototype hydrogen-powered 乐播传媒 backhoe loader and had a go at refuelling it.聽
乐播传媒 has built more than 50 prototype hydrogen combustion engines for use in construction and agricultural equipment and several machines are currently in testing.
Mr Shapps said: 鈥淭his is a unique prospect that works well, and I've challenged 乐播传媒 by the middle of next year 鈥� by 2024 鈥� to be operating some of these on our roads and on construction sites. And 乐播传媒 told me that it will be happy to try and achieve that objective, and good luck to them.鈥�
Mr Shapps was hosted by 乐播传媒 chairman Lord Bamford and chief executive Graeme Macdonald. He was told how 乐播传媒 had launched a range of battery-electric compact machines, with more than 20,000 units already sold. He was shown how battery-electric technology was largely unsuitable for heavier equipment due to the higher energy demands, and the longer working hours of such machinery in remote locations where access to grid connections is limited.
Mr Shapps added: 鈥�乐播传媒 operates in two fundamentally quite difficult areas to decarbonise: construction and agriculture. I have to say they're making decarbonisation look easy, and I've been very impressed with what I've seen.鈥�
Lord Bamford said: 鈥淚t was a pleasure to show the secretary of state the great progress 乐播传媒鈥檚 British engineers are making in developing a zero-carbon solution to power our future machines. They need to be powered by something other than fossil fuels in the future and super-efficient, affordable, high-tech hydrogen combustion engines with zero emissions can be answer for the construction industry and agriculture. What鈥檚 more, they can be brought to market quickly using our existing supply base.鈥�
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