by Kyle Molyneux | Thu 21 Dec 2023
New Komatsu PC138E-11 electric excavator
Komatsu plans to introduce a new 13-ton-class PC138E-11 electric excavator equipped with a lithium-ion battery to the Japanese market as a rental machine around January 2024, before introducing the machine to European market. As a market for electrified construction equipment has not yet been established, Komatsu is working to quickly develop this new market with an eye to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by expanding its product line-up and meeting customers’ needs.
By equipping a high-capacity lithium-ion battery and integrating a cooling system for the battery and electric components for this new machine, Komatsu has achieved long operation time while reducing the rear-end swing radius. In regions where electric construction equipment markets are expected to be formed in the future, Komatsu is working to have a variety of customers, with different machine operating conditions and power supply sources, use this machine as a rental machine so that they should be able to experience its environmental friendliness and safety. In this manner, Komatsu will accumulate customer feedback and knowledge and promote the formation of the electrification market.
Komatsu has positioned FY2023 as the first year for the market introduction of electrified construction equipment, and the release of the PC138E-11 is the fourth step in that direction. Hydraulic excavators are the most versatile type of construction equipment, and the 13-ton class is used in a wide range of jobsites and applications, centring on relatively confined spaces, such as urban civil engineering. By capitalising on the launch of this machine, Komatsu is set to develop a broad range of new customer needs and establish the market for electric construction equipment.
Dantotsu Value is defined as customer value creation that generates a positive cycle of improvement of earnings and ESG resolutions in Komatsu's mid-term management plan, entitled “Dantotsu Value – Together, to ‘The Next’ for sustainable growth”. Through this Dantotsu Value, Komatsu will strive to create new values in order to take steady steps forward to the next stage for the workplace of the future and pass on a sustainable future to the next generation.
Key stats for the 15.3-tonne Komatsu PC138E-11 including a 0.50m3 bucket capacity, 1,803mm tail swing radius, 72.5kW electric motor and 225.6kWh battery capacity. The machine’s shipping dimensions are 7,970mm (length), 2,490mm (width) and 3,005mm (height).
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