Hi everyone, I recently joined the group. Just wondering what is peoples perception on electric skids. Found this company EXVO that offers radial and vertical lift fully electric skids. Looks like a pretty neat machine. Has anyone came across them before? Seems like a option for our indoor demo work as you can swap the battery. www.exvoelectric.com Thanks.
Had a look at your website. I like the concept. I have always said, when batteries improves and electricity price drops (absolute joke in Australia) i will buy electric. Please post some pictures of cabin tilted. Im am curious of how the battery is removed. Also how the wheel drive and hydraulic drive is designed.
Whats the electricity prices in Austrailia? The battery is removed out the back of the machine, it takes 15 minutes to swap out using a forklift or another skid. Two electric motors drive the wheels using a belt, which can be tensioned. A third motor drives the hydraulics.
I've said it many times, the only way electric will catch on is if the machine has the ability to be productive 8-12 hours a day. Current battery tech just isn't there but quick battery swapping seems like a step in the right direction.
I agree, lithium batteries may allow longer working days, however they are twice the price of a conventional lead acid cell. Hence why EXVO offers lead acid batteries which can be swapped in 15 minutes. Just another option to increase the working hours of your day.
I wonder how the battery will stand up to all the bouncing and shaking when working the machine.
That's another reason why they have lead acid batteries - they can withstand a lot more abuse/vibrations and harsh environments over lithium ion batteries which are a bit more temperamental.
AGM batteries might be a good option since they won't spill or leak battery acid and handle vibration much better than lead acid batteries. I wonder on a large battery, like a skid steer would use, if the speed of the drive motors or hydraulics would get a little slower as the battery got weaker and/or the voltage dropped, especially if the machine was under heavy load? Electric I believe is constant torque but could tough conditions reduce the torque and/or draw more amps causing the battery to lose power faster?
Good point Dave, they also come with TPPL (Thin plate lead acid) cells, which are similar to AGM, in that they do not require any maintenance or topping up with water. When the battery is fully charged it is above the nominal working voltage of the machine, meaning it can deplete right down to the nominal voltage without any decrease in performance. When the machine is below this voltage, the operator is prompted to recharge the battery. Tough conditions will not reduce the torque, but will draw more amps.
What do I think about an electric skid steer? It takes less than 5 mins to fill either one of our 279D's with diesel and no forklift. Not interested in electric equipment simply because the infrastructure is not there for it to viable. For example, we are currently working on an amphitheater project where the following equipment is working: Wheel loaders - 2 Skid steers/CTL's - 5 Mini-ex's - 6 Rough terrain forklifts - 3 50K+ excavators - 2 84" compactor - 1 Dozer - 1 Now what does the charging infrastructure look like to charge every one of those pieces of equipment overnight for an 8-10 uninterrupted shift by 7 AM the next morning? Who pays for the temporary electrical charging "stations" and the electricity? There are 5 different trades plus the GC that owns the above equipment. Electric equipment is being pushed by people that do not run equipment IMO. YMMV.
What if you are out in the woods 20 miles from an electric outlet? Eh? Much, MUCH easier to haul out a 55gal drum with a 12VDC pump on a UTE.
Good point. The project above is downtown with plenty of electrical in the street.
Starting to sound like a sales pitch.....
And, then WHO pays for it? Like you said, there are 5 plus GC there.
I don't think the majority of these machines can replace their diesel equivalents, they are better suited for different applications which are indoors or where remote controlled demolition is needed. Diesel isn't going away in the near future, especially for jobs like you mentioned 20 miles away in the woods.
I have seen a good application of an electric machine. Greensmowers on a golf course. A lot less noise for early morning use and only need to run for approx. 2.5 hours a day. Less if 2 machines are used. If the greens get a second cutting it would depend on how long it takes to charge the batteries. Sand trap rakes could be another good application for electric drive but equipment like fairway mowers that tend to run all day are better suited to an internal combustion engine. You don't want a machine stuck on the course because the battery died.
But what about the offset in weight for batteries against ICEs? Aren't batteries typically carrying a heavier load then their ICE counterpart? How would that work on them fancy golf courses?
Doesn't seem to be going very well.
I don't think the batteries are super huge and the bald tires are fairly wide. Ride on greens mowers have lower ground pressure than walk behind greensmowers. A person walking exerts the highest ground pressure on a green.
Have a look at the US government's Superfund Clean Up sites list some time and see how many of those sites were battery manufacturing or recycling sites prior to becoming Super Fund sites. I'm sure when all these new batteries need to be disposed of/recycled it will be a much cleaner process though. Right.....