Cummins unveils electric drive mini excavator

First published in bauma Preview - February 13, 2019

The Cummins electric drive system powers this prototype mini excavator

Cummins is unveiling a prototype, all-electric mini excavator model that features its own drive system. Power comes from a battery pack comprising eight of the firm’s BM4.4E units. The battery modules provide 4.4kWh apiece and give a total of 35kWh, sufficient power for the machine to work for a full shift. Meanwhile a full recharge takes three hours.

Mounted near the base of the excavator, the Cummins-designed and built Battery Modules feature Li-ion technology. The firm says that this achieves a higher energy density and proprietary control technology to maintain battery charge for a longer zero emission range. Its modular design also allows for different packages to be built up for other applications and duty cycles.

This concept design is aimed at duties in urban areas where noise could cause a disturbance. As it has zero emissions it could also be configured for duties in underground parking areas or tunnelling operations for example.

The mini excavator is a 3.5tonne unit from Hyundai that features conventional hydraulics. However its design has been modified slightly from a standard model to accommodate the battery pack. As a result it has slightly wider tracks than would be standard for this class of machine.

Of note is that the firm’s smallest diesel at present is the 2.8litre model. This new electric drive extends the range of power outputs for the firm’s line-up. And a spokesperson for Cummins said, “It’s an extension of our range and it takes us into the smaller end of the business.”