JCB and Ardent Lead with Early On-Site Hydrogen Trials

At Ardent Hire Solutions, we’re always looking for innovative ways to support our customers and help them meet their sustainability goals. That’s why we were excited to partner with JCB and national housebuilder Vistry Group for one of the first on-site trials of the new hydrogen-powered JCB Loadall 540-180H telescopic handler.

The trial took place on a Vistry site in Kenilworth, where the hydrogen Loadall was put through its paces performing essential tasks, such as loading bricks and blocks onto scaffolding, lifting roof trusses, and handling roof tiles. The verdict? The machine delivered seamless performance, comparable to a traditional diesel model, while offering a crucial zero-emission solution.

Jeremy Fish, CEO of Ardent Hire Solutions agreed: “Housebuilders are under enormous pressure to reduce carbon emissions and this is a massive step towards achieving that. This is something that we have to work on together and in this instance, JCB has come up trumps. Hydrogen is the future.”

Construction Manager Danny Drayton said: “We use a JCB Loadall at the moment and we call them the heartbeat of the site. If the heartbeat stops, the site stops.  So, it’s been normal operations for us, loading out bricks and blocks onto scaffolding, loading out roof trusses for truss lifts, loading up roof tiles, all of the normal operations. The feedback from our operator is that he loves it. It is very smooth and performs just like a diesel machine.”

Alex Roberts, Head of Sustainability at Vistry Group, added: “Net zero is incredibly important to us at Vistry. We’ve set targets for emissions that we are in direct control of. On this site there is significant impact from diesel, so it’s really important that we have some solutions to help reduce emissions associated with plant, equipment and generators that we use on site.”

“One of the advantages of using hydrogen to power machines on site is zero emissions from the tailpipe, but also the ability to refuel the telehandler and keep it running throughout the day, so that the machine can keep pace with the site. We can bring hydrogen to site to refuel the telehandler. Quite often when we start on site there isn’t any infrastructure like electricity, so recharging batteries can be really challenging.”

The machine has been designed to be a direct replacement for a diesel model, delivering the same performance and productivity, while offering a zero-emission solution for customers looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

JCB Group Director – Special Projects, Tim Burnhope added: “It’s a huge opportunity to work together on net zero solutions. We’ve been given a great insight into the machine’s operation. I think the feedback is that the machine is pretty much the same as today’s machine, we’re just putting a different fuel on board.

“The great thing is that we are all now working together, the housebuilder, the rental company and the manufacturer, to see what works and what doesn’t. We’ve got time to improve, to develop, but if we all get together and say this is exactly what we need, we will be well on the way to finding a perfect solution for the industry.

“What we’ve established is the speed and pace of the machines on these building sites is really intense. They start very early and finish very late and barely stop during the day, covering good distances across the site and lifting all the way to roof height continually. Fast refuelling is key, because if the machine stops, all the trades stop, it stops the bricklayers, the roofers, the whole site draws to a halt. It’s important that we have continuous uptime, continuous machine availability.”

At Ardent, we are proud to be part of this game-changing innovation. As the construction sector continues its journey toward net zero, we remain committed to supporting our customers with the latest sustainable solutions to help them build a better, greener future.