Japanese equipment maker Komatsu said it will begin series production in October of its new PC20E-6 electric mini excavator, designed to operate for up to four hours on a single charge.
The compact excavator is powered by a 23.2 kWh battery paired with an 11 kW high-torque electric motor, giving it an operating weight of 2,190 kg. The company said the runtime covers the needs of most customers, citing data gathered from more than 40,000 workdays of diesel-powered machines.
“This defined the target for the required, reliable working time with the excavator,” Komatsu noted in its product statement. “This result makes it possible for Komatsu to offer an attractively priced machine with a performance that exactly matches the requirements.”
For recharging, the machine includes an onboard 230V charging option at 3 kW, while a 400V DC fast-charging option at 12 kW is available. Komatsu said the PC20E-6 is supported by its E-Support maintenance program, which provides free scheduled servicing, a three-year/2,000-hour warranty for the machine, and a five-year/10,000-hour warranty for the electric driveline.
“The Komatsu E-Support customer program is included free of charge with every market-ready electric mini excavator and offers exclusive machine support,” said Emanuele Viel, Group Manager Utility at Komatsu Europe. “The bottom line is that the risk for the end customer is significantly reduced, especially when it comes to exploring the electrification advances in the industry.”
Komatsu has not disclosed pricing for the PC20E-6 but said the model is targeted at customers seeking a cost-effective entry into electric-powered construction equipment.
