Tech partnership to unveil 1.7-ton zero-emission excavator next year

Hitachi Construction Machinery, a construction machinery manufacturer, has announced a collaboration with Dimaag-Al, a leading provider of electric solutions, to design and deliver to the market a 1.7-ton electrified hydraulic excavator

Expected to be completed by December 2024, the partnership aims to unveil the vehicle at Bauma 2025 in Munich before launching the product on the European market in 2027. The industry-leading machine will be geared towards use in urban construction and indoor demolition.

“To realise zero-emission, it is important to provide not only our products but also solutions combined with related products such as energy storage system,” remarked Kazunori Nakamura, vice president and executive officer, CTO, president of Power & Info Control Platform Business Unit and Research & Development Group. “For this purpose, the collaboration with various partners is the key to success. Since the battery module for this collaboration from Dimaag is versatile and applicable to various electric products, further acceleration of the electrification at construction sites can be expected. We are excited to partner with an innovative company like Dimaag and would like to expand our electrified vehicle lineup.”

High power construction machinery

Hitachi will provide technical information of the base machine and specification requirements for the electrification while Dimaag will integrate its Electric No Compromise Off-Road Ecosystem (ENCORE). First showcased at Consumer Electric Show 2024, ENCORE is comprised of Dimaag’s high power, swappable battery modules, advanced thermal management system, inverters, motors, power electronics and software for EVs as well as charging stations.

Ian Wright, cofounder of Tesla and VP engineering at Dimaag, commented, “Dimaag’s ENCORE technology has been deployed across multiple prototype off-road vehicles to validate our design intent of no compromise on safety, all-day performance, and affordability. We are honoured to partner with Hitachi Construction Machinery to be a pioneer and enable economies of scale for the ENCORE tech stack. This partnership marks a significant step towards achieving electrification of agricultural and construction machinery, with no compromises.”