Oslo’s first zero emissions construction site in action
The ZE85 electric excavator from Suncar HK is now successfully operated on a zero-emission construction site in Oslo, Norway. It is the first electric excavator with a CCS connection, which enables a full charge in less than an hour.
The use of the battery-electric ZE85 in Oslo is no coincidence: local authorities in Oslo have stipulated that all public buildings must be built with fossil-fuel-free construction machines. Since the EU Commission also prefers clean construction sites and demand from the market is growing, manufacturers are increasingly equipping their heavy-duty machines with a battery-electric drive. While some companies do the development and conversion themselves, others work together with external partners such as Suncar HK – for example Liebherr and Hitachi that both uses Suncar’s system in their electric vehicles.
The advantage of the ZE85, based on a Hitachi digger design, is that it can be quickly recharged. With the CCS connection, charging should take no longer than 45 minutes. Suncar HK mentions a maximum charging capacity of 280 kW in the announcement. The CCS protocol known from electric cars is integrated into the modular DC charging system ‘Interflow’. Alternatively, the ZE85 excavator can also be charged at a standard CEE three-phase current socket, as is usually available on construction sites.
The company does not provide any further technical data on the model in the notification. According to the company’s website, the ZE85 is expected to run for four hours. In combination with the short charging time, the eight-tonne excavator should be able to operate throughout the working day without any problems. If no fast charging option is available, a cabled operation is also possible.
Suncar HK, based in Zurich, was spun off from the ETH Zurich as a start-up company and now belongs to Huppenkothen Baumaschinen AG. The development office consists of 15 employees and specialises in the electrification of construction machinery, commercial and municipal vehicles.
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