Webasto and Danfoss electrify giant drill

Webasto and Danfoss Editron have electrified a giant drill from Dutch manufacturer Dieseko for the first time. The Woltman 90DRe weighs 90 tonnes and can drive piles up to 36 metres long into the ground by drilling or driving.

The Woltman 90DRe uses a drive system from Danfoss Editron and 36 battery packs from Webasto, each with a capacity of 35 kWh. Six of these are permanently installed on the machine and supply the power for a small drive motor that allows the machine to travel short distances on the construction site. The other 30 battery packs are removable and provide the power for drilling or pile driving. Dieseko gives 613 kW as the power of the giant drill.

According to a Webasto statement, the number of batteries is designed so that the power is sufficient for an average working day on the construction site of about eight to ten hours. Overnight, the packs can be charged with up to 90 kW for use the next day. The concept with largely detachable battery packs “makes it easier to transfer the machine from one construction site to the next and allows discharged batteries to be replaced with charged ones. Their weight of almost 15 tons provides the necessary counterbalance for the drilling rig”, Webasto elaborates. At almost fifteen tonnes, they also provided the necessary counterweight to the tools.

In total, the 36 battery packs from the Munich-based supplier have a cumulative energy content of 1.2 MWh. Webasto emphasises that these are extremely robust specimens (“shake and impact test with 100 kilonewtons”) and the packs are protected by an extra box. A central battery and thermal management system from the Webasto range is also used in the Dieseko drill.

“Our battery thermal management solution ensures the best possible energy conservation in everyday life and a long service life for the battery packs. The eCabin heats and air-conditions the driver’s cab. So we solve all thermal tasks at once,” says Lena Beckmann, Director Product Management Battery and Thermo Management at Webasto.

The Munich-based company sees a rapidly growing market in the electrification of diesel construction site vehicles. Some countries such as the Netherlands, Norway and the US state of California are already demanding emission-free construction sites from 2025 or 2030. The E-versions of the drills are initially more cost-intensive to purchase, but calculated over the years of use, they are nevertheless financially interesting, according to Webasto.