Takeuchi launches 4t battery-powered excavator

Takeuchi used Conexpo to show a 4 t class battery-powered mini excavator. It is the first time the model has been shown outside Japan.

The e240 is a battery version of the company’s well-established TB240 diesel model. The machine on show – which is made in Japan - is a pre-production unit and the company is now taking orders in North America.

Lee Padgett, product specialist at Takeuchi, told IRN that the machine will operate for nine hours at 65% of full load. It charges from a standard 220v power outlet and will take around 10 hours to go to full charge from zero. The batteries power a 46.9kW (63hp) electric motor.

The unit’s 3890kg (8570lb) weight is almost the same as the diesel model. Maximum bucket reach is 5.54m (18ft 2in) and bucket breakout force is 4517kg (9959lb).

There will be a price premium for the electric model, but Mr Padgett said it would not be a significant.

The unit will give customers, and rental companies, the option of having a mini excavator that can be used indoors with zero emissions, and it is also around 50% quieter than the diesel version.

Takeuchi has already been selling the much smaller TB216H model, which is a ‘tethered’ hybrid model, operated either by diesel engine or by a mains power source.