Following extensive research and development, JCB has developed its first electric mini excavator.
The 19C-1 E-Tec electric mini excavator was created in response to customer demand for a machine capable of working indoors, underground and within urban areas.
The zero emission, 1.9 tonne mini excavator is charged by plugging it into a 230-volt domestic electricity supply. When the machine is fully charged, it is ready to put in a full normal working day on the job site – digging with the same speed and power as its diesel counterpart. Super-fast charging will also be available at launch, which JCB said will cut charging time in half.
The 19C-1 E-Tec goes on sale at the end of the year, after being developed in secret at the company’s Staffordshire, England headquarters. Its development has been spearheaded by company Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford who calls its arrival a “real breakthrough” for the construction sector.
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“JCB has been at the forefront of developing innovative, low emission diesel powered construction equipment for decades,” Bamford said. “In fact, thanks to our clean diesel technology, typical JCB machines will be pretty close to zero emissions by next year.”
The electric excavator has an electric motor and three advanced lithium-ion battery packs, to deliver a full energy capacity of 15kWh.
Alongside zero emissions, the machine will also be the quietest in the JCB range. This allows contractors can work after normal hours in urban streets, around hospitals and close to schools without disturbing people nearby. The machine also has a retractable undercarriage to enable it to negotiate tight spaces.
“With urbanization, machines are operating more closely to people as well as digging underground, indoors, near hospitals and in food production environments,” Bamford said. “As a result, there is a new zero emissions sector emerging and it’s emerging very quickly. It’s for this reason we have put ourselves at the forefront of alternative power technologies and developed the first ever electric JCB digger.”
