Excavators are the first wave of electrification in construction equipment
Mini excavators have become a part of many job sites and a staple in most OEM’s offerings due to customers recognizing good production for their size, their maneuverability, and transportability.
The machines are also easier to manufacture and power simply because they are small. These factors—plus frequent applications indoors or close to inhabited homes and buildings where noise and emissions are frowned upon or prohibited—have made them prime candidates for electrification.
Indeed, a number of OEMs have used mini excavators as a starting point for electrification efforts. Announcements on electric excavators and related developments on partnerships and batteries for electric power storage seem to occur weekly.
One thing is certain: Unless you are working in a wide-open rural area that may be “off the grid,” they are coming to a job site near you. And relatively soon. Equipment makers see potential dollar signs along with environmental altruism.
According to a recently published report by Fact.MR, the global market for compact excavators is likely to expand at a 2.7 percent compound annual growth rate in terms of volume during its latest 10-year forecast period ending in 2026.
The report further projects that by the end of 2026, more than 173,600 compact excavators will be sold across the globe.
“In trying to understand where the customer needs are going, we’re looking at electrification and testing along our product line, and we will focus where those needs are,” says Terry Dolan, VP of Case Construction Equipment North America. Though his company showed an electric backhoe loader at Conexpo 2020 that is now being tested by utility companies in New York, it has also developed an electric mini excavator. “Electrification is definitely coming and we will be there on several fronts.”
According to preliminary findings of a CALSTART research project on zero-emission off-road equipment and the challenges faced in deploying it, a major shift is coming in how mini excavators are powered in the U.S.
Small excavators have made significant inroads and have the largest market increase of all clean engine types. Fully electric small excavators made up 5 percent of the U.S. market in 2021, and this is expected to rise to 15 percent by 2029.
Insulators to progress
CALSTART says off-road equipment comes with its own distinctive and complex challenges to solve. These can include the technological issue of big machines needing a great deal of power to fulfill their tasks; the logistical challenge of charging off-road equipment in remote working locations; and the one of perception—the idea held by many that electrified off-road equipment is incapable of handling the work.
These challenges may not be easy to solve, but they are not insurmountable. With forward-looking and unique applications of technology, legislation, and education, these problems can be assessed and eliminated, says the nonprofit that describes its mission as “working to build a prosperous, efficient, and clean high-tech transportation industry.”
According to CALSTART, construction equipment electrification is both more achievable and desirable than agricultural equipment electrification. The reason is that it is simply easier to electrify construction equipment compared to other types of off-road vehicles. This is because most construction happens in populated areas, so there is less of a challenge in accessing infrastructure than with more remote off-road applications.
Additionally, construction equipment is often compact compared to other off-road categories, and so the possibilities for immediate electrification using current technology are strong.
One of these challenges is perception, CALSTART reports. Many stakeholders across these industries assume that an electrically powered machine will not be able to perform to the level of their ICE counterparts, even when it has been shown that those electric vehicles can indeed do so.
There is also the concern that charging these vehicles out in the remote regions in which they operate will be a problem. Construction equipment in urban or suburban locales can also face charging challenges since construction sites are often cramped and difficult to navigate.
Finally, although battery technology is continually and rapidly improving, the problem of duty cycles is a consideration. Equipment can often sit idle for long periods, and then can be suddenly called upon to operate intensively for many hours. The batteries that power these vehicles must be able to endure these long down times and still have sufficient charge left to accomplish the work their ICE counterparts are called upon to do, without needing to recharge during the workday.
The full report from CALSTART, Achieving Zero Emissions in Construction and Agricultural Equipment, is scheduled for release while this issue is on press.
OEMs have actively been working on the problems and perceptions CALSTART describes, seemingly none more so than Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE).
Who makes electric excavators?
Volvo has three electric mini excavators (EC18 Electric, ECR18 Electric, and the ECR25 Electric) available for North America. The electromobility portion of the company’s website says the EC18 and ECR18 will be delivered in spring 2023, while the ECR25 has already begun shipping to U.S. customers.
Interestingly, Volvo is taking online reservations for the machines. There is a reservation fee of $100 to start the process. “A lot of sales have been made through our ‘reservation tool,’ and those leads are then passed to a local dealer who facilitates that sale,” says Volvo CE spokesperson Emily Fouche.
Volvo U.S. president Stephen Roy discussed the process at the recent ACT meeting in California.
“Our reservation tool and dealer network play a key role in getting these electric machines into customer hands,” Roy said. “We have a different approach than we have taken in the past with sales by using an online reservation tool. Over 50 percent of our first sales have come through that reservation tool. Our dealer network continues to be important. We started with just one dealer opting in to sell electric and we now have 22 of 33 dealers enrolled and fully trained to support electric.”
The first delivery in the U.S. was to Walden Hill, a 400-acre farm in Massachusetts that practices sustainable forestry and other environmentally friendly strategies.
Jennifer Milikowsky and her husband, Tylan Calcagni, produce maple syrup and harvest acorns used to feed pigs at nearby farms. “Minimizing our carbon footprint is critical, so we try to do that with every decision we make,” Milikowsky said in a Volvo news release. “The thought of buying a diesel machine in 2022 that we would use for a decade or more was hard to accept.
“We did a deep energy retrofit on our 1820 farmhouse, we are exploring a solar installation on the farm, and now we get to take a big step forward in trying to convert our fleet of vehicles and machines to electric.”
Volvo CE began accepting reservations for the ECR25 Electric compact excavator in North America in August 2021.
“Anyone who owns or works on a small family farm knows that the daily list of jobs is as diverse as it is long,” Calcagni said. “This excavator might help us put in a culvert under a forest trail one day and help us do site prep for a new sugar house the next. We’re so excited to have this versatile machine at our disposal.”
The farmers installed a 220-volt outlet in their barn to charge the excavator but can also charge it with a regular household outlet if needed. Both drive hybrid cars and they already had a 220-volt outlet in their garage.
JCB is marketing its 19C-1E excavator in North America. The unit has a four-battery pack the company says allows for five hours on a standard charge. Three charging options are available for the mini excavator: 110V, 230V, and 415V.
As mini excavators are a popular rental item, some manufacturers are going that route first. Takeuchi, for example, is deploying its TB20e electric excavator with United Rentals.
“United Rentals and Takeuchi have a long history together, and we’re pleased to be the first to offer the new, environmentally friendly TB20e excavator,” said T.J. Mahoney, VP, supply chain for United Rentals, in announcing the move. “Not only does this machine provide our customers with a more sustainable equipment option, it’s also more cost-efficient to operate.”
Bobcat has conducted test drive and live demonstration events near Los Angeles in Granada Hills and in Stockton, California. The tour included the E32e and E10e mini excavators.
Attending the events were leaders from California Air Resources Board (CARB), City of Los Angeles, Port of Los Angeles, Stanislaus County, and other public organizations, as well as Sunbelt Rentals.
“These electric, off-road construction machines are a promising step in our aim to increase access to clean off-road equipment that produces near-zero emissions in California,” said William Robertson, vehicle program specialist with the Mobile Source Control Division at CARB, in a statement. “The commercialization of cleaner off-road technologies shown at these events are exciting examples supporting the state’s transition to a clean energy economy.”
Sunbelt Rentals has already invested in Bobcat electric compact excavators. They became available for rent by Sunbelt Rental customers in California and at other U.S. locations in July.
The Case electric mini excavator that is in the works is the CX15 EV, targeted to market in North America in 2023. The CX15 EV has an operating weight of 2,900 pounds and is powered by a 16-kW electric motor. The 21.5-kWh lithium-ion battery is charged either by the 110V/220V on-board charger, or via an external rapid charger that can have the machine charged within 90 minutes. Depending on application, the company says the excavator will have enough power to work through a full eight-hour workday.
Another potential player, and one that is currently seeking to make big splashes on its own in the U.S. after dissolving its excavator joint venture with John Deere, is Hitachi (HCMA). Hitachi has an electric model (ZE85) available in Europe.
There are no plans to bring it here—yet—but the product is offered with an intriguing solution for charging challenges.
The ZECOM (Zero-Emission Construction Machinery) excavators are Hitachi crawler models fitted with battery-driven electric drivetrains. They are aimed at indoor operations, residential environments, or areas where the use of ICE is legally restricted.
Based on the Hitachi ZX85US, it offers a four-hour runtime in its maximum configuration by which the capacity requirement can be customized with several built-in battery modules. The charging time can be reduced, Hitachi says, to 35 to 45 minutes when using a CCS2 interface of up to 150kW to charge the battery system. This means it can be charged during break times on the job site.
Additionally, it’s possible to charge the machine with 400 V CEE grid during break times and during operation.
Charging challenges for EVs
It is marketed with its own power system, called the “KTEG Powertree,” a mobile plug-and-play quick charging station specifically designed for off-road use.
The modular concept looks like a shipping container box; in fact, its design mimics a 10-foot sea container. Its storage capacity is configurable according to its intended use, with CCS2 fast charging capable of more than 800 volts.
The Powertree’s plug-and-play capability means there are no electricians required for start-up and it’s an off-grid stand-alone solution that can also be operated without a mains connection.
It also features air-conditioned buffer storage allowing it to be used regardless of weather conditions. The charging station can be serviced by the Deutz service network. It is designed for a 10-year life span, according to Hitachi’s European marketing literature.
German manufacturer KTEG says its Powertree solution can charge a wide-range of battery-electric machines and site vehicles in the shortest possible time. It calls the system a “mobile buffer battery with a quick-charging station in a flexible and durable 10-foot container.” The company says it can be put into operation on any construction site in less than 10 minutes without any special training for workers.
Also looking to overcome charging issues, Volvo CE has partnered with Beam Global to allow Volvo dealers to bundle charging systems with a purchase of electric equipment (in addition to minis, Volvo is also marketing small electric loaders in the U.S).
Beam provides products for EV charging, energy storage, energy security, and outdoor media. The partnership involves the company’s EV ARC off-grid charging systems.
This joint offering enables construction sites to rapidly deploy EV charging, without the requirement for electrical work, utility grid connections, or fossil fuel generators, to power zero-emissions construction equipment that runs on the sun and does not generate a utility bill, according to Beam.
“The construction industry has the opportunity to future-proof its business against noise, carbon emissions regulations and volatile fossil fuel costs by adopting electric machines,” said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley, in a statement.
The EV ARC system can be set up and ready to use in minutes, according to Beam. It is fully autonomous, meaning it generates, stores, and delivers electricity independent of the grid. Whether the project is in a remote nature preserve or a densely populated city with strict zoning rules, the solar-powered EV ARC can be deployed without any electrical work or permitting.
