Green Trends In The Heavy Machinery Industry
Rising fuel prices and increasing awareness of environmental issues have influenced the heavy machinery industry as well. When taking into consideration that an average construction machine needs 15 to 20 gallons of diesel per hour, it’s hardly a surprise that many producers are working on some fuel-efficient solutions. The world’s first hybrid construction machine was introduced by Komatsu. PC200-8 Hybrid is a hydraulic excavator that consumes 25% less fuel than comparable non-hybrid machinery. At the beginning it was available only in Japan, but this year it should also be launched in China and North America. As the manufacturer explains, the Komatsu PC200-8 Hybrid uses an ultracapacitor bank to store energy generated during the swing movement of the upper structure. The ultracapacitor bank converts it to electricity that is later used to power a motor which assists the engine. That is why the machine is the most energy efficient when the upper structure is in use. (video describing how Komatsu system works: ) New Holland and Kobelco joined their forces to design a hybrid version of 7-ton class crawler excavator. For the time being, they have revealed the prototype but there is no information when the excavator will be available. According to presented statistics, fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by 40% as compared to base model, the New Holland E70 mid-size excavator. The excavator is equipped with a diesel engine and a battery-powered electric motor. Last year Caterpillar introduced the D7E – the world’s first hybrid dozer. It is equipped with a diesel engine that powers an electric generator, which in turn powers an electric motor. This solution results in fuel savings of 10-30% when compared to standard model, the D7R. What is important, the fuel savings do not lead to compromising on power. On the contrary, D7E can move 10% more material per hour than the D7R. The Caterpillar engineers were working on the concept for 10 years.
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