Innovation by the Bucketload from Bobcat at Bauma

As we covered in the run up to Bauma, our friends over at Bobcat had a vast range of innovative products on display on a packed stand, with many products being put through their paces on the demonstration plot by the highly skilled demo team.

Of course, Bauma is all too often focused on the giant machines, but for me one of the most exciting products at the Bavarian machinery fest was the T7X which Bobcat claim to be the World’s first All-Electric Compact Track Loader, which was making its very first European public appearance.

Bobcat have been developing its electric machines for some time and at Conexpo in 2020 presented the T76e compact track loader concept machine.

The TX7 is now commercially available to purchase, but initially will only be aimed at the North American market. The manufacturer is still evaluating the European market to see if there is a demand for this size of machine in the sector, having the machine in Munich also presented Bobcat with a great opportunity to gather feedback from European customers.

The machine is powered by a 62-kWh lithium-ion battery pack which can offer a run time ranging between 3 – 6 hours depending on use/workload. Charging time is currently 10 hours, but they are working on a superfast charging solution that will bring full charging down to just 4 hours.

The machine features a load-sensing power management system, which as its name implies, automatically reduces the power output, to suit the job in hand, effectively conserving power when it’s not needed during light work tasks.

The operators can also manually tube the machines performance to match his preferences and the demands of the job, through the smart software system the operator can even select what Bobcat describe as a “Beast mode” which can offer a short burst of power in a hard digging situation, like digging out rocks or tree stumps as an example.

 Incredibly the T7X, which has a rated capacity of 1374kgs, has virtually no fluids on board, except for 4 litres of eco-friendly coolant. There is no need for any hydraulic oil as the traditional hydraulic components have been replaced with an electrical drive system, which includes electric drive motors and electric actuator cylinders from American manufacturer Moog.

Our friend and industry colleague Peter Haddock conducted an interview with Joel Honeyman the Vice President of Global Innovation at Bobcat which you can checkout below.

On the opening day of the show Bobcat launched its all new 2-tonne class E19e electric mini excavator, heavy rain on the opening day put paid to a live reveal, but we caught up with the machine the following day on the demo plot when the sun returned and shone as it did for the rest of the show!

The Bobcat E19e features the same profile, external dimensions and comparable performance as the popular E19 mini-excavator, more than 10,000 of which have been sold worldwide. The E19e boasts the same stability, lift capacity and breakout forces as its conventional counterpart, while its constant torque curve (a feature of electric motors) ensures dependable and powerful operations. With a width of just 98 cm, the new electric model is easy to operate in even the most confined workspaces, making it ideal for tasks such as demolition as well as outside applications that require quiet, zero-emission operations.

Designed around the needs of the operator, with more space between its consoles, the E19e offers best-in-class levels of comfort. With well-located travel pedals and joysticks, including thumb controls for the AUX1 and boom-swing functions, all controls have been placed at the operator’s fingertips. The introduction of foldable travel pedals and the absence of floor-mounted AUX1 and boom-swing offset pedals have served to maximize legroom.

The E19e features a 3.5-hour battery capacity and can be recharged quickly using a super-fast charger. This means that by topping up the power during work breaks, the machine can be used all day for the majority of typical applications.

The E19e is powered by a 17.3 kWh battery, which is larger than the E10e’s 11.5 kWh power source. It also produces very low noise levels on site, with an LpA (operator noise) of only 70 dBA, 9 dBA less than the diesel-powered E19.

The model’s electrical system and components have been optimized for work in harsh environments and, owing to the use of low voltages only (the same as the E10e), the 2-tonne mini-excavator is safe and easy to maintain.

I caught up with Bobcat Product Specialist for excavators Jiri Broz to find out more.