Charging electric equipment at remote job sites has long been a concern for fleet managers as they watch battery-electric units and EVs proliferate.
Some OEMs have recognized this (Volvo is one) and developed mobile charging solutions for those sites and areas not “juiced up.” Others, like Case Construction Equipment, have not. Third parties have rushed in with research and products meant to fill the gap.
A company called Dannar, based in Muncie, Indiana, has come gone a little further. Its Mobile Power Station (MPS) is essentially a battery on wheels that can travel on sites and be operated remotely.
But wait, there’s more: You can outfit it with attachments and run those attachments.
The MPS is spec’d as a modular platform that delivers up to 500KW of power and can reduce multiple single-use machines. Dannar says the units can power an off-grid site, charge electric vehicles, or operate as a heavy-duty machine itself.
“The MPS provides a zero-emissions alternative to fossil-fuel machinery; it’s a great solution for clean air targets,” says the firm’s founder Gary Dannar.
It supports over 250 existing attachments from Caterpillar, John Deere, and Bobcat. Yes, that means you can put the OEMs’ attachments directly on an MPS. The units are universal, configurable platforms.
“These are hydraulic work tools, mechanical work tools that have been well-engineered, that have been designed to work with diesel equipment,” Dannar says. “What we are finding is those same attachments when you put them on a Mobile Power Station, our customers are telling us, the attachments actually work better.
“That’s because electricity is not weak,” Dannar says. “Electricity is very powerful, very controllable, and it will run those attachments and those systems very efficiently.”
Managers can also add a cab.
See what it's like inside a battery electric storage system
The unit’s base weight is 13,000 pounds. It has all-day work capacity due to high-capacity BMW lithium-ion batteries, according to Dannar, tows 600,000 pounds, and has a maximum travel speed of 25 mph. Export panels facilitate the ability to power multiple hydraulic tools.
The export panel is configurable with multiple 110VAC and 208VAC outlets. Built on a heavy-duty steel ladder frame, the Dannar 4.00 MPS can be ordered with or without an operator cab or platform. The base model comes standard with dual flat beds.