Equipment maker JCB has announced that it has gone into full production of a new fully-electric mini excavator, the 19C-1E, with the first units rolling off the assembly line at the JCB Compact Products factory in Cheadle, Staffordshire, in the UK.
The 19C-1E is JCB’s first-ever electric digger and the company said orders are coming in from customers across Europe and North America, with more than 50 units already delivered. JCB also claims that the model is the construction industry’s first fully electric mini excavator.
According to a statement by the British giant, the machine is a “staggering five times quieter than its diesel counterpart and can be fully charged in under two hours”. JCB expects the 19C-1E to be a big hit with companies working inside buildings and in emission- and noise-sensitive inner-city areas.
Fully charged, the 19C-1E can put in a typical full day’s shift for a mini excavator, JCB said, and the machine also offers customers cost-of-ownership benefits, with research highlighting that over the first five years, charging costs will be 50% cheaper for customers who would otherwise be using diesel. Servicing costs are also expected to be up to 70&% lower compared to the diesel model, said JCB.
Tim Burnhope, JCB chief innovation officer, said: “In urban environments in particular, contractors are understandably very keen to operate zero emission equipment whenever possible, including outdoors. I’m delighted that the model is now in full production after successful feedback from customers in many key markets during the evaluation stage.”
Robert Winter, MD, JCB Compact Products, added: “This is a historic moment for JCB and for JCB Compact Products. We are delighted to go into full production with the industry’s first fully electric mini excavator. The machine has a very promising future ahead of it.”
The JCB statement added that using leading automotive battery technology, the zero-emissions and low-noise 19C-1E delivers all of the performance of a conventional diesel-powered 1.9t mini excavator. The machine comes with JCB’s LiveLink telematics as standard and is suitable for working indoors or outdoors, in factories, tunnels or basements, for digging foundations or on utility projects.