A team in France will develop the tractor for a demonstration planned in 2026
An equipment manufacturer is working on a tractor powered by hydrogen.
Massey Ferguson and five other French companies are developing hydrogen storage tanks to be used in tractors and other off-road vehicles.
The tractor is scheduled to be built in time for demonstrations sometime in 2026.
This innovation supports “a positive impact on our communities by reducing our operations’ as well as our farmers’ environmental footprint to secure a sustainable world for future generations,” Thierry Lhotte, VP & managing director for Massey Ferguson Europe & Middle East, said in a statement.
One of the companies involved, Cetim, is working on the thermoplastic tanks that can store hydrogen.
While RAIGI is tapping into its work developing hydrogen liners, to ensure the storage is safe.
Storage appears to be a main challenge in hydrogen vehicle development.
Hydrogen has more energy density than diesel but is less dense in terms of volumetric energy.
“Hydrogen’s tiny molecules make it prone to leakage, and it must be stored at either extremely high pressure or very low temperatures – both of which demand significant energy input,” says Horizon Educational, which provides science kits and other teaching materials to schools. “This makes efficient hydrogen storage a daunting engineering task.”
Compared to traditional fuel sources, hydrogen is a cleaner option.
“Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles consumer about 29-66% less energy and cause approximately 31-80% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional vehicles,” a study on hydrogen vehicles says.
The study also identifies that hydrogen vehicles can be as much as 12 percent more expensive than conventional vehicles.
Multiple industries already use or are studying using hydrogen in fleets.
In 2024, for example, railroad company CPKC tested a hydrogen locomotive.
One test, from Sparwood, B.C., to Golden B.C., saw the train travel more than 300km.
Major Daniel Rickleff of the U.S. Army suggests hydrogen-powered military vehicles could be affordable and practical for use on the battlefield by 2040 if the proper infrastructure is in place.
And multiple forklift manufacturers like Hyster and Toyota already offer hydrogen lift trucks in some areas.