Hitachi Electrifies Futureworx with Battery Powered 8-tonner

Hitachi certainly put the spark into the Futureworx 2022 exhibition last week, by showcasing the battery powered ZXE85US midi excavator, which was first revealed in prototype format during Bauma 2019.

Weighing in at 8,500kgs and based on the ever-popular conventionally powered ZX85US model, the new zero emissions at point of use ZXE85US now offers a continuous work time of 5.5 hours and can then be charged back to full capacity in 45-minutes, enabling the machine to be recharged during lunch breaks for instance, much like you would with a mobile phone.

The ZXE85US offers the same high levels of operational performance and operator comfort as the ZX85US. The cab is air-conditioned and the intuitive controls provide a complete overview of the machine’s status.

Just like the ZX85US base machine the ZXE85US is suitable to use a 0.28 m3 bucket (ISO heaped) as well as tools for the 8-9 to class. The machine which has been produced in collaboration with KTEG is now in full serial production and they have already sold 41 machines, which have proven to be very popular in leading adopting markets for electric machines like Norway and Germany.

To find out more about the product, my Earthmovers and Construction Collective colleague Peter Haddock spoke to Hitachi’s Product Specialist Timo Vestweber the day before the event.

We look forward to getting a "hands on" opportunity with the machine in due course for Earthmovers Magazine.