The construction equipment industry is speeding up the development of eco-friendly machines, responding to the global push to achieve carbon neutrality. Companies are electrifying key equipment and developing hydrogen engines, investing aggressively in new power systems. Some also say infrastructure must be built in tandem for construction machinery to successfully go green.
According to the industry on the 11th, HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore, which are merging to launch the integrated entity HD Construction Equipment, unveiled the 11-liter-class hydrogen engines HX12 for vehicles and power generation and HX22, a large 22-liter-class hydrogen engine for power generation, at World Hydrogen Expo 2025 (WHE 2025) held recently at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
HX22 is an engine that began demonstration testing at the Gunsan plant on the 22nd of last month. HX12 completed 1,500 hours of demonstration in September and is set for mass production and sales in 2026. Development began in 2024 and 2022, respectively.
Doosan Bobcat, focused on mid- and small-sized equipment, displayed a prototype of a 5-ton hydrogen fuel cell forklift under development at the same exhibition. In Jan. last year, it became the first in Korea to commercialize 2.5–3.5t hydrogen fuel cell forklifts, and in Dec., it began private-sector supply to entities including NongHyup and Unitus, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group.
The industry is pursuing eco-friendly power to join the global carbon-neutrality trend as construction equipment emits very high levels of greenhouse gases.
According to the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center of the Ministry of Environment and Climate, construction machinery emits 5.3 times as much carbon per unit as freight trucks and 15.8 times as much as passenger cars. There are also statistics (as of 2021) that about 16.2% of national air pollutant emissions come from the non-road institutional sector, such as construction equipment.
Eco-friendly transition paths differ by construction machine. For mid- and small-sized equipment such as forklifts and wheel loaders (equipment that moves soil and other materials), electrification or the use of Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology is being pursued. Because small equipment is mainly used indoors at logistics centers and is employed to transport products that are not heavy, battery-powered electric equipment can also drive them.
In contrast, mid- and large-sized equipment that requires greater power consumes significant electricity, making battery-based equipment impractical. It is also not easy to bring charging electricity to outdoor worksites. For such equipment, installing hydrogen engines is being pursued. Excavators fitted with the HX12 hydrogen engine developed by HD Construction Equipment can replace conventional products that required diesel fuel.
Meanwhile, the industry says deregulation and additional support are needed to advance technology and spread adoption of hydrogen construction equipment, which is in its infancy. Although the law was revised in May to allow hydrogen refueling for construction equipment, which had been impossible, the industry says it remains difficult due to refueling station installation expense and impractical installation rules.
An industry official who requested anonymity said, "Multiple companies, including large corporations, tried to introduce hydrogen equipment but gave up after being tripped up by hydrogen refueling station installation issues."
Kim Jun-seok, Korea Construction Equipment Research Institute, said, "Unlike the United States, where indoor charging is active, Korea still requires going to external high-pressure hydrogen refueling stations," adding, "Forklifts that were doing box work indoors have to go outside the building to refuel and then come back in, so it is not easy to increase utilization."
Some say subsidies are needed. Unlike hydrogen commercial vehicles and forklifts, hydrogen engine construction equipment is excluded from Ministry of Environment subsidies. In the construction machinery institutional sector, the subsidy-eligible items are electric excavators and hydrogen forklifts.
An industry official said, "Hydrogen engines are not eligible for subsidies, so overall progress, including development and distribution, is slow," adding, "Expanding subsidy eligibility for hydrogen construction equipment would not only boost related equipment uptake but also move us toward meeting carbon-neutrality goals."