Takeuchi introduces hybrid digger

Japanese heavy equipment brand Takeuchi has launched its first electric hybrid excavator in Australia, in a bid to test the market and determine future demand for other hybrid models in the range.

The Takeuchi brand is distributed in Australia by Semco Equipment Sales.

According to Semco director, Graham Murphy, a key advantage of an electric drive is there will be no noise or carbon dioxide emissions.

"This means there are no toxic fumes and no pollution, and the machine can work relatively silently and indefinitely in a building basement area which otherwise would need complicated and expensive ventilation systems," he says.

"This will be an attraction for contractors who work on inner city demolitions and basement excavations which are set to become more important as the value of residential properties increases in high density areas of the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

"Other benefits of electric operation are the removal of the need to have fuel and other volatile materials on the worksite which may be an issue in some areas."

With the TB216H, operators will use the diesel engine to propel the machine into the job site and then connect the excavator via a capillary line to an on-site 415v three phase power outlet or generator set.

From there, the operator switches from diesel to electric and the hydraulic flow will be supplied by the electric motor.

The electric drive can be installed as a retrofit on existing TB216 models in the area occupied by the counterweight.

Murphy says the hybrid TB216H will be popular with rental companies who want to provide that technological and 'green' edge over their competitors.

"Rental company representatives have been overseas and witnessed this emerging trend. They have seen the technology exhibited in Germany and other models shown at European trade equipment expositions and rental-specific shows," he says.

"Some rental companies see electric hybrid power as an opportunity to differentiate their equipment offering and may wish to use this technology as a strategic benefit for their organisation."