MARKET REPORT COMPACT PLANT
JCB's 19C-1E looks great and is finding favour with operators.
All the Small Things
Manufacturers are offering an increasing array of compact electric diggers and dumpers - but what do hirers actually make of them? Dan Jenkins tries to find out.
The twin drivers of improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions continue to push manufacturers to electrify their products. This is creating a growing range of fully electric and hybrid compact equipment, but hirers still have very different views on its place in their fleets.
Kelsey Plant moved into greener machines in a big way in 2018. Nadine Clark, managing director, said: “A number of opportunities aligned in quite a short space of time.”
“In November 2017 we bought one machine for a long-term customer at Gatwick Airport. Then about a month later the directors of Green Planet Plant Hire approached me to see if I wanted to buy the electric machine part of their business, as they wanted to concentrate on another area of niche hire. They say that fortune favours the brave, so we went for it.
“We are looking to grow cross-hire as demand increases for this type of equipment,” added Clark. “There is increasing awareness of the equipment available, and more pressure on the construction industry to reduce emissions.”
Kelsey Plant is covering a larger area than it would with its diesel products, in order to maintain utilisation rates. “We are travelling further than we would consider with the diesels,” she said. “My thoughts are that, as awareness grows and there is more requirement for electric and hybrid, the area that we service will gradually shrink. And of course, more hire companies will ultimately invest in this type of product.”
Because these locations mandate electric machines, Kelsey has little problem achieving an appropriate rate. “To buy, these are very expensive machines compared to their diesel equivalents. So, if sites need them, they have to pay sensible rates for them,” said Clark. “There is always an issue with pricing in this industry, but if you go too low it makes the whole thing completely nonsensical.”
The biggest challenge faced by all-electric machines is the perceived working time between battery charges. “There is some resistance from customers because of the amount of time a battery-operated machine can work,” she said. “But most machines don’t work solidly on site anyway. The battery operated machines are capable of a typical day’s duty cycle. Maybe we need people to be more creative in the way that they actually work, so it could be more about planning, so that work is carried out in a smarter way.
Takeuchi's TB216 Hybrid combines battery power and a diesel engine.
“We had to increase our fleet quite rapidly because just having one or two electric machines was never going to work. So, we added Green Planet’s machines and we invested quite heavily and now about a third of our fleet is electric. The Government is talking about scrapping the red diesel rebate and running diesel machines is already more expensive than it used to be. For me, going electric was an opportunity to take a lead in a market with huge potential.”
Over the past 36 months, Kelsey has increased demand for its electric products, including Takeuchi and JCB mini-excavators, Ecovolve high tip dumpers, Tufftruck Truxta powered barrows, and stand-on, skidsteer loaders from Sherpa. Around one in six transactions is cross-hire, with the remainder being direct hires from a growing customer base.
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This sentiment is echoed by Johnson Plant, which recently invested in two 19C-1E JCB electric mini excavators. Jake Johnson, director at Johnson Plant, said: “There is a thought process involved when using them, you need to plan how you’re going to work that day.”
Operator feedback has been overwhelmingly favourable. “Every operator is shocked by the power of the machine
Tufftruk's 'Truxta BENDie' battery-powered electric mini dumper easily fits through narrow doorways.
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