If the goal is zero-emissions , it makes no sense to charge your electric machine with a diesel generator .
“ We ’ re really paying attention to the charging infrastructure ,” said Gallant . “ How do we get the power out to the jobsites and how do the jobsites have to evolve ?”
After developing its electric compact excavator , JCB came out with a universal fast charger , designed to charge the company ’ s fleet of E-Tech machines . “ We always try to make sure we include multiple charging options ,” said Rebecca Yates , senior product manager for material handling JCB North America .
To be effective , temporary electric job site power must be deployed rapidly without permitting or site prep requirements , maintains Desmond Wheatley , CEO of Beam Global . His company ’ s solution is a solar-powered , off-grid charger , the EV ARC 2020 , which it showcased in the Volvo CE booth at last year ’ s Utility Expo .
Electric charging requires a thinking reset , Wheatley said . While fast chargers seem attractive , their use is driven by the experience at the fuel pump . “ If a machine has access to a charger during idle times , you can just top it off like you do with your cell phone ,” he said . “ You just charge it whenever you ’ re not using it and not wait until it ’ s empty .”
Aiding this approach will be the advent of wireless job site charging , Wheatley said . With the addition of a ruggedized receiver to the bottom of a machine , instead of being plugged up it could charge while parked over a charging pad . “ The wiring is already basically in place , you ’ ve just got to extend it to the underside of the vehicle ,” he said .
Whatever their eventual form , electric charging systems will likely be primarily rental items , Wheatley said .
Three Big Hurdles While there are contractors who are natural early adopters , most are concerned with practicalities , particularly when it comes to the three big barriers to electric machines : initial cost , run time per charge and charging time .
Primarily because of the present cost of batteries , electric machines typically cost two to three times that of a comparable diesel machine .
JCB , however , did a return-on-investment study that showed a 50 % ROI within three to five years , Lucas said . “ There are no maintenance costs with electric machines ,” he added . “ All you ’ re doing is charging the machine and filling up the hydraulic fluids .”
Electric machine prices will come down as increasing volume supports driving down component costs , Honeyman said . “ On the flip side , the operating cost of the T7X is one-tenth of that of a comparable diesel-hydraulic machine ,” he said .
Most OEMs are now citing a range of 4-to-8-hour run time for “ average ” use on compact equipment and an 8-hour overnight charge .
Customers naturally compare run times on a fully charged electric machine with a full tank on diesel units , but that doesn ’ t show the whole picture , say our experts .
“ An electric machine behaves differently than a diesel machine ,” Honeyman explained . “ When you let off the joysticks of an electric machine , there ’ s no idle . An operator can get a day or more of productive work out of it because they ’ re typically not running the machine eight continuous hours a day .”
Honeyman added : “ In comparison , the telematics data on our diesel machines tells us that significant time is spent with the machine simply idling .”
Charging Infrastructure Still Under Development . That brings us to the question of how best to charge electric machines .
If the goal is zero-emissions , it makes no sense to charge your electric machine with a diesel generator .
“ We ’ re really paying attention to the charging infrastructure ,” said Gallant . “ How do we get the power out to the jobsites and how do the jobsites have to evolve ?”
After developing its electric compact excavator , JCB came out with a universal fast charger , designed to charge the company ’ s fleet of E-Tech machines . “ We always try to make sure we include multiple charging options ,” said Rebecca Yates , senior product manager for material handling JCB North America .
To be effective , temporary electric job site power must be deployed rapidly without permitting or site prep requirements , maintains Desmond Wheatley , CEO of Beam Global . His company ’ s solution is a solar-powered , off-grid charger , the EV ARC 2020 , which it show
6 NCP Magazine • October 2022