Hammar has released the world’s first electric powered sideloader and plans to offer the new option to customers in New Zealand.
The move follows successful trials of a prototype electric powered sideloader with several Hammar customers in Australia over the past seven years.
Following the trial, Hammar has now launched the electric power pack on a global scale in a push towards green alternatives in the sideloader industry.
The Swedish-based company expects the technology will be available for New Zealand customers within a year.
Hammar New Zealand managing director Fred Sandberg says a local customer has already shown interest in putting electric powered sideloaders into its fleet.
“I can confirm we will be offering the electrified sideloader option for the New Zealand market and we do have a customer who is very interested in electric vehicles that we are talking to,” he says.
The Hammar electric powered sideloader offers numerous advantages over diesel engines currently used in the lifting operation.
Electric power suits sideloaders particularly well as the handling time of the cranes, which averages 2-5 minutes per stop, takes up only a small part of a working day where much of the time is spent on transportation, the company says.
A fully charged electric power pack, known as an ‘ePP’, provides sufficient stored energy for consecutive lifts with a 35 tonnes weight. However, it can be charged by the truck while driving in addition to being charged by plug-in (230V) at a terrestrial base.
“We have a customer today in Australia who doesn’t have to stop to charge the sideloader at all, and the charging during transport is enough to last for a whole week without plug-in charging,” Hammar chief executive and owner Bengt-Olof Hammar says.
“This same scenario will apply to many of our customers. In combination with plug-in charging, the ‘ePP’ will work great for anyone with some transport distance.”
Advantages of the technology include less environmental impact, a healthier working environment, lower operating costs, a lower weight and significantly lower noise levels compared to the traditional diesel power pack, the company says.
The first country outside Australia to put the new electric power sideloader into operation is Denmark, with Ancotrans, the largest sideloader operator in the Scandinavian country.
