For large machines such as HGVs, combine harvesters, road building equipment etc, fuel use can be between 5 and 25 litres per hour.
A litre of diesel has the equivalent of ~10kwh. Even a low level of consumption would require 50kwh battery for each hour of operation.
As this sort of kit works 7-10 hours per day the size and cost of batteries would be material. Stopping to recharge during the working day would be inefficient, particularly if high capacity recharge points were not available nearby (as may be the case with roadbuilding).
The JCB rationale for hydrogen power may be understandable to comfortably cope with a single days work where electric may be logistically and financially problematic.
Contrast with normal cars where a typical range of 200-300 miles on a full charge would (for most) cover a weeks usage.
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Hydrogen new
Hydrogen new