Bobcat’s dive into battery-powered construction equipment has had two causes for celebration recently.
According to a report from Middle East Construction News, the company’s first fully-electric, 1-ton mini excavator—the E10e zero tail swing (ZTS)—started rolling off the production line in July. Plus, the machine’s “entire production run for the year has already been sold out,” MECN reports.
The machine is being built at Bobcat’s compact equipment manufacturing plant in Dobris, a city in the Czech Republic. The machine is being built alongside its diesel-powered siblings, the E08 and E10z mini excavators. That production line, MECN reports, currently has a capacity of about 2,000 machines each year, with the ability to adjust the production mix of diesel and electric machines as the market dictates.
Doosan Bobcat EMEA product line director for mini excavators, Jarry Fiser, told MECN that demand for the E10e is “higher than our original expectations and production capacities,” and adds that Bobcat is “still adjusting the processes with our suppliers so that we can increase the production volumes when needed.”
The Dobris plant will manufacture the E10e for all of the company’s global markets. The machine is currently on sale in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with the North American and Asian markets to follow, MECN reports.
With a light and compact zero tail swing design, near-silent operation and zero emissions, Bobcat says the E10e was built for indoor use. Bobcat says the E10e provides the same “or even better” performance as its diesel counterpart the E10z, and it can be operated with all E10z attachments.
The machine is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that is maintenance-free and can operate throughout an 8-hour work day—if the operator remembers to charge the machine during breaks, the company says.
The good news on charging is that you can recharge 80 percent of the 1-ton excavator’s battery in less than 2 hours.
Inside the cab, operators will find joystick control with variable positioning, electronically activated control for track expansions, two speeds and LED lighting. The cab also features a console display with rpm, motor hours, battery capacity, temperature gauge, selected speed and error codes.
Be sure to check out more photos of the machine below and stay tuned for Bobcat’s North American introduction.
