Explore Go Large with Electric Excavator

Taking a look back at one of my articles previously published in Earthmovers Magazine, bringing it to life on the internet, un-edited and with alternative images.

National plant hire and transport business Explore Plant and Transport Solutions has invested in the first SANY SY215E electric powered hydraulic excavator to be delivered into the UK market.

The 23-tonne Sany machine represents a significant step forward in the company’s ambitious commitment to a greener future. The machine is impressive as it is, but to add to its itinerary, it has also been fitted with industry leading safety software and technology including, height, slew and RCI (Rated Capacity Indicator) from Xwatch Safety Solutions Part of Hexagon, human form recognition system from Safety Shield, and 3D machine control from Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon.

Earthmovers caught up with the impressive looking machine at Explore’s depot in Thurrock, Essex for an initial introduction.

Talking about the innovative new machine and its additional safety features, Warren Wilkinson, Operations Director for Explore Plant said, “We are excited to add this state-of-the-art machine to our fleet. In addition, safety systems are extremely important to us and that’s the main reason we have implemented Xwatch into our fleet, especially on our excavators, from 13-tonnes and above we fit the system as standard which gives peace of mind to our customers too.

This machine is a first of its kind for us, especially in its size class and with all the technology on board and as I said, the safety systems are critically important to us, we are always exploring different sorts of technologies, as the industry continues to move in that direction, and we are keen to be seen as early adopters of such innovations as electric machines and obviously the safety features that go with it, so if we can help support that and push it along, that’s equally important to us as a business”.

Explaining the numerous benefits of the Xwatch system Dan Leaney Sales and Operations Director said, “The Xwatch system gives a 2D representation when its stand alone, or with slew and RCI, with RCI being critical with the larger machines, as it’s mandated under UK legislation, that excavators technically become a crane once you start lifting operations, so the RCI is part of that valuation.

Obviously, site safety is paramount with the likes of tier one contractors and our great friends at Explore have been using Xwatch since its inception, and for us it was a great privilege to be asked by our friends at Sany to come out and install our safety system to showcase the next level of electric powered hydraulic excavators.

Asked how the Xwatch system integrates into the Sany electric machine Dan Leaney said, “So the Sany electric machine is essentially still an excavator but with the diesel engine removed. It’s the hydraulics where we cut in and provide a fails-safe solution for the operator and the machine moving towards the future. As it stand’s we are doing further integration with other OEM’s including Sany, to bring it to the next level”.

Pictured L-R : Warren Wilkinson Explore Operations Director - Dan Leaney Xwatch Safety Solutions

My initial reaction from walking around the Sany SY215E was of just how stylish it looked, typically on some of these larger electric excavators we have seen, some feature monstrous rear ends on them to facilitate storage of the necessary battery packs required to power these beasts, but that is not the case with the Sany, which at first glance looks no different than the conventional diesel engine variant, except that the space where the engine would normally fit, is now home to the battery packs.

In terms of safety the machine is already fitted with its own in-house safety features as Sany UK & Irelands Key Account Manager Rueben Stapells explained, “So Sany installs their own factory fitted in-house 360-degree camera system, that alerts the operator with a colour coded visual warning as someone approaches the machine within a certain meterage, so now with the Leica combined with Xwatch system, those visual warnings now turn into audible warnings too”.

Talking further about the machine Rueben said, “We have taken automotive technology from China, where for instance on our truck fleet we have around 60% of the market share. We have integrated CCS 2 type car chargers to facilitate fast charging and the freedom to be able to charge from any port available.

What our design team have done is to allow for large battery operation, 460 volts battery, so massive capacity, and you can dual charge up to 400 amps, which allows for fast charging from totally flat to full in approximately 1.5 hours”.

The power comes from a state-of-the-art lithium iron phosphate battery pack, and has been designed to be fully flexible with automotive style charging solutions. Sany suggests that the machine is capable of operating for a full day’s work ranging from 6-8 hours depending on work load from a single overnight charge. The power is rated at 150 Kw /1,800 rpm with a peak torque output of 1500 Nm.

Of course, the big question with all these electric machines is just how long they will work for in a real site scenario and in addition convincing operators to adapt and embrace the technology is often another challenge.

The stars didn't line up for a follow up site visit to see this machine in action on site, but its still something I would be keen to do in the future, if the opportunity ever arose.