ELECTRIC JCBS
“IN A BASEMENT, YOU NO LONGER NEED TO PUT DOWN AN
EXTRACTION SYSTEM COSTING TWICE AS MUCH AS THE DIESEL
EXCAVATOR… THE COSTOFOWNERSHIP CALCULATION SUDDENLY
utility or demolition operation.
It isn’t just machine scaling: the
application is very di erent for
a 30-tonne machine.”
Uptake has been strong for
indoor applications and urban
construction, where political
pressure for emissions-free
sites is growing and mains
power for recharging o en
readily available. e
Teletruks have proved
popular for builders’
yards while JCB
report many 19C-1Es
working basement
projects in London.
Electric charging is
cheaper than diesel and,
with no engine-related
servicing, maintenance costs 50%
less on the 19C-1E.
40 iVTInternational.com November 2019
“ e electric mini-excavator is
50% more expensive, which may take
a few years to repay,” says Burnhope.
“But if you’re a demolition company
and can’t start until 7am or work
a er 5pm, with a quieter machine
you can continue to run. In a
basement, you no longer need to put
down an extraction system costing
twice as much as the diesel excavator.
For those site opportunities, the costof
ownership calculation suddenly
pales into insigni cance.”
Environmental imperatives
“World population was 2.6 billion in
1950 but is heading for 10 billion by
2050,” says Burnhope. “ irty
percent used to live in cities, but
that’s heading for 70%. With highdensity
populations causing air
quality issues across the world,
we have to reduce NOx and
particulates.” e environmental
arguments are less straightforward
when one considers that electric
energy may come from coal- red
power stations and lithium-ion
battery manufacture can produce as
much CO2 as running a diesel
excavator for 2½ years.
“We’re trying to segregate it into
di erent solutions for di erent
areas,” says Burnhope. “On London’s
Oxford Street with hundreds of
people walking past an excavator,
unless it’s the latest Stage V ultraclean
diesel, the electric model may
be the most appropriate solution.”
With customers plugged into these
two machines positively shocked by
their performance, expect more
electrifying JCB products to come
charging into production. iVT
50% The estimated
reduction in servicing
and maintenance by
switching from JCB
diesel to electric
PALES INTO INSIGNIFICANCE”
Tim Burnhope , chief innovation and growth offi cer, JCB
/iVTInternational.com
