Utility contractor Falco Construction is trialling fully-electric mini excavators on its sites with an eye to replacing its entire £6m diesel fleet.
The firm is working with UK Power Networks to test a duo of Takeuchi TB20e electric mini excavators over the next two years on excavation work in London and the South East.
Upon a successful trial, Falco will invest over £6million in replacing its 120-strong diesel-powered fleet of excavators with fully electric models.
The e-diggers provide equivalent performance to their diesel counterparts with batteries lasting up to five days before recharging.
Katherine Jennings, continuous improvement manager at UK Power Networks, said: “E-diggers could ultimately be a huge enabler in UK Power Networks and Falco achieving their joint Net Zero commitments.
“We are passionate about partnering with our suppliers to drive continuous improvement in the sustainability sphere. This is critical, as meaningful change and a just transition can only come about through shared goals and joint initiatives.”
Alan Seyfi, support services director at Falco Construction, added: “The Takeuchi Model is the first electric mini-excavator we have seen that performs comparably with more traditionally-powered diggers.
“We estimate that replacing our current 120-strong fleet with TB20e’s would directly remove over 200 tonnes of CO2e emissions each year and be a major step forward on our road to Net Zero.”
On top of the emission-based benefits, the excavators are 13 decibels quieter in comparison to diesel models during normal operations.
Falco is a framework contractor for UK Power Networks providing groundworks to facilitate the repair and maintenance of assets across all of the company’s three operating zones (London, South and East Anglia).
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