The prototype L 566 H (above) is being hailed as the world's first wheeled loader with a hydrogen engine.

A demonstration at the Liebherr plant in Bischofshofen, Austria, was accompanied by the opening of the first hydrogen filling station in the state of Salzburg.

"To make progress in hydrogen research, we need to have access to hydrogen. We built this filling station to further advance our goals for decarbonising construction machinery," said Herbert Pfab, chief technical officer of Liebherr Bischofshofen.

For smaller vehicles up to about 15 tonnes, battery-electric solutions are generally considered suitable. However, for larger machines hydrogen reciprocating piston engines have been shown to offer better potential.

As part of the development of the hydrogen wheel loader, Liebherr Bischofshofen has opened its own hydrogen filling station (below), in partnership with Maximator Hydrogen, which is not only the manufacturer of the filling station, but also a Liebherr research partner. Together, they are working on mobile filling facilities so that machinery can be refuelled directly at the construction sites.