Takeuchi’s TB220e electric excavator will come with fast-charge pack

Marcia Doyle Headshot
Updated Apr 23, 2020
Takeuchi’s TB220e on display at ConExpo.Takeuchi’s TB220e on display at ConExpo.

Takeuchi made a splash at ConExpo 2017 with its e240 electric excavator, then one of the few electric machines seen by show attendees.

The company brought back an electric excavator to the 2020 show, but this time with a different concept. This year’s show machine, the 4,277-pound TB220e, is completely designed and built by Takeuchi, while the 2017 machine was more of a retrofit, with the electric components installed by vendor Green Machine after the diesel engine was pulled.

“This is a fully electric machine with a lithium-ion battery,” explains Lee Padgett, Takeuchi product manager.

While no specs are official until the planned product launch this fall, Padgett did fill Equipment World in on what users can expect when it does go into production.

There are two charging options for the TB220e. The first is a 480 3-phase charging pack that comes with the machine and acts as a rapid charger, charging the machine in about four hours. The machine also has a 220-volt onboard charger for overnight charges.

The charging options give users more jobsite versatility, plus address customer concerns about getting a full-day’s run time. Padgett says, “You can always find 220-volt on a jobsite but not always 480 3-phase. This machine will run for about eight hours, or full day, depending on how it’s used.”

The battery will last for 3,000 charges, Padgett says, “so it probably will outlast the machine.”

The TB220e is using a Takeuchi TB216 model as its basis. “This machine will excel in applications such as schools, hospitals, anywhere they don’t want to hear the machine running,” Padgett says. “It’s also much cleaner to operate.”

Takeuchi says there is no power loss between a diesel-powered machine and the TB220e. “It’s the same, perhaps even better at times, because there’s no torque curve as there is with diesel,” Padgett says. “It’s 100 percent torque from the get-go.”

The lithium-ion batteries are in a sealed compartment. “There’s not a lot of need to get to the battery,” Padgett says. “You can access all the services and electric components under the seat, which flips up.” And because there’s no engine, there’s no fuel or oil filters. “Maintenance is very minimal,” Padgett says.

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While declining to give specific costs, Padgett says the electric machine will have a premium over a diesel-powered one. “But where you’re going to use it probably demands a higher labor cost per hour,” he says, “and you’re going to make a lot of it up with lower maintenance costs and no fuel costs.”

 

TB220e electric excavator preliminary specs:

Operating weight: 4,277 lbs.

Horsepower: 11.8

Bucket breakout force: 3,099 lbs.
Dig depth: 7 ft 10.1 in.
Max reach: 13 ft 5 in.
Noise Level: Lwa 84 dB