Capital Equipment News November 2020

COMPACT EXCAVATORS

The low noise and zero emissions JCB 19C-1E mini excavator.

Compact excavators – Leading the road to electrification

As electromobility in construction equipment takes shape, the compact equipment sector, especially the mini excavator, is leading the road to electrification, with several models recently coming to market on a commercial basis, writes Munesu Shoko .

G overnments and manufacturers envisioning a diesel-free future for on-road vehicles hit the headlines in recent years. In July 2017, the automotive industry was rocked by a far-reaching announcement when Volvo Cars stated that all its new cars would be electric or hybrid from 2019 onwards. The following day, the French govern- ment announced it would end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as a way to fight against air pollution. A few weeks later, the British government followed with a similar proposal. But what will these bans mean for the construction industry? Construction equipment is largely run on diesel engines and so far, no official announcements have been made concerning their use once these bans come into effect. While decisions are yet to be made on what a diesel-free future means for construction equipment, Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in the developed world currently provide an insight into how urban construction projects can have a less harmful effect on air quality right now.

The European Union sets emission standards that define the acceptable amount of pollution that can be emitted by the exhaust of a vehicle sold in the EU and EEA member states. Depending on the area, vehicles with higher emissions either cannot enter the area at all, or have to pay a fee if they do. To avoid the expense – real or perceived – of having to pay fees to bring construction machines into restricted areas, construction equipment firms have increasingly been asked by customers to fit a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to machines, to reduce the diesel particulate matter (black soot) from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine. DPFs are currently seen as an extra precaution in response to a perceived need to meet regulations in LEZs. But as regulations around LEZs continue to become stricter, it’s likely this trend will continue. In response to the growing need for the industry to clean up its act, leading construction equipment manufacturers have started commercial launches of their first fully electric

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