Alternative drive concepts contribute to decarbonizing the construction site
Construction machinery worldwide emits several hundred million tons of CO₂ every year, while more and more countries and municipalities are committing to a carbon-free future. In light of this, the industry is increasingly switching from traditional diesel engines to more environmentally friendly drives.
Electric motors as an established development path
Electric motors have been a mainstay among alternative drives for construction vehicles and machines for several years now. Whether it was excavators, wheel loaders, rollers, dumpers, or vibratory plates, many manufacturers already presented new solutions from their ever-growing e-portfolio at the last editions of the world-leading trade fair bauma. And the trend will continue. For example, one leading European OEM announced that from 2040 it will only supply vehicles that are powered entirely without fossil fuels, while the analysis and consulting firm IDTechEx predicts that the global market for electric construction machinery will be worth 105 billion dollars by 2042.
Mainly compact machines with a battery
First and foremost, compact machines are still well suited for battery electric systems. Their daily energy and power requirements can be covered by an electric motor and a moderately sized lithium-ion battery in conjunction with a well-defined charging strategy. For larger and heavier construction machinery, electric drives currently often still reach their technological and, due to the additional costs for electrification, also economic limits.
Sustainable drive concepts with alternative fuels
To achieve drives that are as climate neutral as possible across the entire construction spectrum, openness to technology is therefore still required. For example, a life cycle analysis commissioned by an OEM came to the conclusion, among other things, that operating mobile cranes with hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) promises the greatest potential for reducing greenhouse gases.
Many companies and research institutes are also focusing on developing and testing hydrogen powered construction machinery. One manufacturer presented prototypes of two hydrogen combustion engines at bauma 2022, and series production was announced for 2025.
Hurdles in extracting and distributing the fuel
However, it is also clear that before alternative fuels can be used on a large scale, issues regarding their production and distribution need to be clarified. To really benefit the environment, vegetable oils should, for example, ideally only be produced from plant and food waste, and be widely available. The situation is similar for hydrogen or e-fuels. In addition to producing sufficient quantities from carbon-neutral sources, another prerequisite is also setting up an extensive distribution network.
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