RAC digs JCB’s green hydrogen engine

It may once have been known for its garishly coloured, diesel-chugging diggers, but JCB has successfully turned over a new leaf, to the point where it has just ‘scooped’ one of the Royal Automobile Club’s top technology awards for a third time.

Each year the RAC gives its Dewar Trophy to a company that has demonstrated an outstanding British technical achievement in the automotive field. JCB earned the honour this year as recognition for its development of the ABH2 hydrogen-fuelled engine, which produces zero carbon emissions yet manages to match the performance of traditional diesel powerplants. Its only by-product is steam from the exhaust pipe.

JCB first gained the Dewar award off the back of its diesel-powered land speed record in 1997, when the JCB Dieselmax attained 350.092mph at Bonneville Salt Flats. Its second came after creating an electric mini excavator in 2019.

Lord Bamford, JCB’s chairman since 1975, said: “We’ve invested heavily in alternative energies to fossil fuel, and the fact that our hydrogen piston engines can be put into production very quickly is something that’s vital in the current climate emergency. It’s an important and pioneering step towards a zero-carbon future and testament to the amazing abilities of our British engineers.”