At Conexpo last month, Tadano showcased the prototype of its GR-1000XLL Evolt, the world’s first battery electric rough terrain crane. The company plans to launch the machine in 2024, starting in the US and Canada, with additional markets to follow.

“This crane will make an invaluable contribution to achieving our goal of reducing the CO2 emissions from our products by 35% by 2030,” said Toshiaki Ujiie, president and CEO of Tadano.

The GR-1000XLL Evolt can travel to work sites and handle all lifting jobs there exclusively with energy supplied by its batteries, according to Tadano, making fully zero-emission operation possible. A single battery charge is enough for up to nine hours of crane operation, or five hours of crane operation with a travel distance of up to 20 km. As a result, the battery’s capacity is enough to cover an entire typical workday for this crane model. The integrated regenerative braking function also lengthens both running time and range.

For the charging time, Tadano said it takes a mere two hours with fast charging on a US-Combo CCS1 connection and only about seven hours with normal charging on a three-phase 240 VAC, 100 A commercial power supply connection. An unlimited operation with the crane plugged into a power outlet is available as well.

The crane’s lifting performance is exactly the same as that of its diesel-driven counterpart, the GR-1000XLL-4. The electric motor delivers a maximum output of 194 kW, ensuring that the GR-1000XLL Evolt has the exact same lifting capacity and operating speed. The crane features a speed of 18 km/hr, and its dimensions are exactly the same as those of the GR-1000XLL-4.

With the GR-1000XLL Evolt, Tadano expects savings of around 2,200 gallons of diesel and a resulting reduction of more than 24 USt of CO2 emissions per year for an average crane usage scenario.

The electric motor not only provides the rough terrain crane with environment-friendly operation, but also significantly lower noise levels during work, all while eliminating exhaust emissions. These two factors come with considerable advantages for customers in multitude of scenarios, including projects in urban areas with noise regulations, night-time lifting applications, and indoor assignments.

Tadano set its ambitious long-term environmental goals back in April 2021, with one of them reducing CO2 emissions from business activities by 25% and from the use of its products by 35% by 2030. The company aims to reach net zero by 2050.

To achieve these objectives, Tadano has grouped together all its solutions for greater sustainability under the name of Tadano Green Solutions (TGS). “In our role as the Tadano Group, we are deeply aware of our social responsibility for the environment and climate. This is why we’ve committed ourselves to actively and significantly contributing to making a decarbonised society a reality with our products and manufacturing processes. With the GR-1000XLL Evolt as an important tech demo, we’ve taken a crucial step towards that goal,” said Mr Ujiie.