SER hydrogen add‑on power trials: fuel and CO₂ insights for plant engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Stevens Equipment Rental has completed a nine‑month trial of Ultimate Cell hydrogen retrofit systems on a 35‑tonne Volvo excavator and an 18‑tonne loading shovel, recording peak fuel savings above 25% on the excavator and over 10% on the shovel under comparable duty cycles. Using OEM telematics and a three‑month pre‑installation baseline, SER projects that a 2,000‑hour annual utilisation could cut diesel use by several thousand litres and CO2 by more than 10 tonnes per machine. The non‑invasive unit draws low current from the battery to electrolyse fluid and inject small hydrogen/oxygen volumes into the air intake, improving combustion, torque and soot levels with only periodic electrolyte replacement.
Technical Brief
- Ultimate Cell units are non-invasive retrofits powered from the existing engine battery at low amperage.
- Electrolyte fluid is split into hydrogen and oxygen, then metered into the intake manifold in small doses.
- Hydrogen–oxygen mix acts catalytically, accelerating combustion for more complete diesel burn and higher torque output.
- Progressive removal of existing carbon deposits is reported as hydrogen reactions thermally strip soot from internal surfaces.
- Operators reported smoother machine response, improved tractive effort and noticeably quieter engine behaviour on both plant items.
- Only routine maintenance is periodic electrolyte replacement, taking minutes and scheduled at extended operating intervals.
- Retrofit cells are fully reversible, allowing removal to restore OEM configuration or transfer to other machines.
- SER positions Ultimate Cell-equipped plant to strengthen ESG credentials in bids for major infrastructure contracts.
Our Take
Stevens Equipment Rental already features in our database for early adoption of Cat safety tech (AEB and collision warning on 972/980 loaders), so hydrogen add‑on trials with Volvo kit suggest a deliberate strategy to differentiate its UK fleet on both safety and emissions performance.
Peak fuel savings above 25% on a 35 t excavator, if repeatable across SER’s wider heavy plant fleet in Scotland and the north of England, would materially cut operating costs on long-duration civils and quarry contracts where fuel is a dominant input cost.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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