The Role of Hydrogen in Powering Off-Road Machinery

Finding suitable fuel alternatives for off-road operations presents a significant challenge. The industry’s current standard—diesel—is unsustainable long-term, requiring a viable replacement to achieve net-zero energy.

Traditional alternatives like electric vehicle (EV) technology have struggled to meet the demands of heavy-duty industries, pushing engineers to explore other solutions. Rather than forcing a square peg into a round hole, they’ve turned to a resource that permeates everyday life: hydrogen (H).

As the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen has emerged as a key player in reducing emissions for high-impact sectors like construction, port yards, and mining. But how does hydrogen power the world’s most demanding industries?

Why Hydrogen is a Game-Changer for Off-Road Machinery

Finding alternative fueling solutions for heavy-duty off-road equipment has long been a challenge. Off-road sites are often remote, operating far from established power grids and fueling infrastructure.

Though electric vehicles have made strides in alleviating on-road emissions, they aren’t a feasible alternative on work sites without electric lines. That’s where gaseous hydrogen (H2) comes in. Hydrogen fuel in its gaseous form can be stored, dispensed, and used without relying on electricity.

But feasibility is the bare minimum for a fuel alternative. Here are hydrogen’s other key benefits for off-road machinery:

Zero Emissions

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) power their motors with an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The only emissions of this process are heat and water vapor. Compared to the toxic greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by their diesel counterparts, FCEVs offer a 100% reduction in harmful emissions from vehicle use.

High Energy Density

Hydrogen packs a powerful punch, providing huge energy density by mass. However, its low volumetric efficiency requires it to be compressed for fueling applications. FCEVs also benefit from an energy conversion rating superior to internal combustion engines (ICEs). That being said, hydrogen can also be combusted in specialized engines with efficiency on par with fossil fuels.

These factors give hydrogen-powered vehicles a much longer range than battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which generally have the shortest runtimes.

Fast Refueling

Unlike electric alternatives, hydrogen refueling takes minutes instead of hours. This puts FCEVs and hydrogen ICEs on par with fossil fueling methods, a key feature for fleet efficiency.

In fairness, the commercial EV market has made design improvements allowing for faster battery-switching operations. However, these innovations haven’t solved the high self-discharge rate of electric batteries. Hydrogen leakage is a factor but occurs at a much lower rate.

Government Incentives

Hydrogen energy technology has recently gained unprecedented public attention as an emerging fuel source.

At the federal level, the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) allocated $62 million in funding for hydrogen transport and infrastructure development. California has announced an even larger $1.4 billion for hydrogen and EV developments.

Across the board, government support through incentives is proving highly effective for generating investments and economic development.

Key Off-Road Sectors Adopting Hydrogen

Hydrogen’s versatility and efficiency are garnering attention in several demanding industries.

Construction and Mining Equipment

Heavy-duty diesel construction and mining machinery generate high emissions, contributing significantly to air pollution with every project. Excavators, loaders, and bulldozers are just some of the necessary equipment currently running on fossil fuels. Energy-dense hydrogen fuel may be the key to transitioning these vehicles to low-emission alternatives.

Here are just a few of the latest innovations in this sector:

• Construction and mining manufacturer, CAT, developed a line of hydrogen-powered energy stations.
• Heavy-duty mobility manufacturer, Komatsu, developed the world-first heavy-duty hydrogen dump truck
• Commercial equipment leader, JCB, has made strides in hydrogen generator and ICE technology

These seemingly futuristic inventions are hard proof of concept that hydrogen has viable applications in heavy-duty industries.

Agriculture and Heavy Farming Machinery

Agriculture is another industry with limited alternative fueling prospects. However, leading manufacturers are now turning to hydrogen to address this long-standing challenge.

Ag-tech manufacturer New Holland produces a range of sustainable farming equipment—including hydrogen-powered tractors.

More recently, agricultural OEM Fendt brought home the Agrifuture Concept Award from a German hydrogen summit for their take on hydrogen fuel cell farm tractors.

Blue Fuel Solutions developed what many might find an unexpected middle-ground with H2 Dual Power, combination hydrogen-diesel tractors that use both fuels with diminished emissions compared to all-diesel models.

Other options from combines to harvesters are available, but a Dutch company is taking an even more forward-thinking approach. The H2arvester is an autonomous mobile system that roams rough farm terrain, soaking up sunlight with solar panels and converting the electric output into green hydrogen via electrolysis. This hydrogen can then be stored for sale or on-site use.

Ports and Logistics

The maritime shipping industry is a vital component of global trade, but also one of the top contributors of GHG emissions. Ships, cranes, forklifts, and terminal trucks all contribute to port operation pollution.

The “green port” movement is the answer to these issues. This broad term refers to port authorities that implement targeted measures to decrease their carbon emissions. Solutions vary, but can include hydrogen fuel cell cranes, trucks, and mobility equipment.

Green ports will play a critical role in global decarbonization efforts, in part due to their tight interconnectedness with adjacent high-pollution industries like heavy-duty trucking and locomotion. Another factor is ports’ key position as an intermediary for innovative “shore-to-store” projects that convert off-shore wind power into on-shore hydrogen fuel.

Hydrogen Infrastructure for Off-Road Applications

Implementing hydrogen solutions requires dedicated infrastructure and equipment for all applications, and off-road machinery is no exception.

Three key systems are needed to transition to hydrogen energy systems: production/storage, distribution, and hydrogen-fueled equipment.

Production and storage are seamlessly integrated throughhydrogen hubs. Hydrogen production can take many shapes and sizes, offering scalable solutions depending on the user’s needs.

Distribution requires pipelines, refueling stations, and tank storage systems, much like existing natural gas infrastructure. Unfortunately, hydrogen is not a drop-in fuel, meaning it must have specialized equipment and is incompatible with systems designed for other fuels. However, integration can still be relatively seamless with careful engineering.

Fuel cell or ICE vehicles are the last piece of the puzzle and notably require more of an upfront investment than conventional machinery. This larger initial investment may be offset by cost-savings over the equipment’s lifetime (depending on local H2 production and availability), especially as the core technology continues advancing in efficiency and commercial availability.

This highly involved transition makes switching to hydrogen power a significant investment of time, effort, and resources. Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped governments and companies from taking the leap to forward sustainability.

Challenges & Future Outlook for Hydrogen-Powered Off-Road Equipment

Despite its world-changing potential, hydrogen still faces tall hurdles before it can see widespread use.

The most pressing issue is a general lack of hydrogen infrastructure. California is the national leader in hydrogen fuel by a long stretch, with most other states only housing a small collection of facilities. Production, storage, and distribution infrastructure must expand for more people to benefit from hydrogen tech.

Another barrier is hydrogen’s high price of adoption and ongoing fuel costs. Hydrogen vehicles, equipment, and storage all cost more than their diesel counterparts. Some of the costs are due to hydrogen’s need for highly pressurized storage, while others stem from a relatively small number of hydrogen investors, producers, and manufacturers.

These bottlenecks all show improvement, though—with experts expecting the prices of hydrogen and its related technologies to continue their trend toward greater affordability.

In addition, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of huge investment in hydrogen thanks to newly clarified tax incentives and several noteworthy projects announced across the U.S. and abroad.

Build the Future with Hydrogen-Powered Machinery

Hydrogen holds the potential to shake up the energy industry and clean up operations across the globe. As an efficient, lasting, and renewable energy source, hydrogen deserves greater attention as a critical pathway to carbon-neutral energy.

FASTECH is leading the charge to an H2-powered future through strategic partnerships with Shell, ICA, Toyota, and FuelCell Energy. FASTECH’s hydrogen portfolio spans projects as fundamental as pipelines all the way to innovations as impactful as tri-generation power.

To learn more about hydrogen’s potential for fueling your off-road operations and progress toward sustainability, contact us for your consultation.