As companies work to develop new technologies to power agricultural and construction equipment, a lot of attention has been focused on the use of batteries and battery technology. To be sure, battery technology has garnered a lot of attention as a potential way to wean the industry off of oil-based power systems.
And while battery technology has shown some promise, it does have its limitations when powering larger equipment. It’s something Tim Burnhope, chief innovation and growth officer for JCB, explained recently to select media at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester, England.
The company was sharing its “Road to Zero” campaign aimed at reducing emissions from the company’s equipment offerings. Burnhope explained that JCB’s engineering journey is ongoing, and the company has learned a lot about what is possible, and what is not possible, when it comes to alternative power sources.
“From an engineering standpoint, anything is possible,” he says. “However, there are limitations to any technology when it comes to expense, as well as how well it works on a jobsite.”
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Much of today’s push toward electric vehicle technology has been driven by the automobile industry.
“Cars are a pretty easy target, because they are probably the easiest to do from an engineering standpoint,” Burnhope says. “And there’s a massive volume.” But in other industries, electric power has significant limitations.
