The electric compact wheel loader will be marketed under the CASE and New Holland brands and distributed worldwide
The production line for the new electric compact wheel loader was officially opened in early July at the CNH plant in Lecce, in Italy’s south.
The model, conceived and designed in the Puglia plant’s R&D centre, will be produced in CASE and New Holland brands with the 12EV and W40X models respectively.
From there, it will reach markets around the world, meeting the growing need for zero-emission machinery in the construction and agricultural sectors.
The new model completes the company’s range of compact electric vehicles, which already includes the two mini electric excavators produced in Cesena, in northern Italy.
The new electric compact wheel loader, which has been presented at major international trade fairs such as ConEXPO in Las Vegas and Agritechnica in Hanover, offers significant advantages in terms of low noise and zero emissions, CNH says.
These characteristics make it particularly suitable for operating in closed environments, where CO2 emissions are not permitted, on night-time construction sites and in all applications that are sensitive to noise pollution.
Furthermore, this type of machine guarantees high performance and lower operating costs than diesel-powered vehicles, the company adds.
Revised design
“We have not just replaced the diesel engine with batteries,” head of construction product development Ciro Casapulla says.
“We have completely revised the design, also drawing on technologies and calculation techniques typical of the aerospace sector.
“Firstly, by lightening the weight, removing it where it wasn’t needed, in a reasoned and calibrated way to increase performance and preserve the machine’s autonomy.”
The new electric model has a range of three to six hours depending on the type of application.
Recharging can be done with the domestic power socket with the standard 230V on-board charger or with the optional fast charger, which can recharge the 23 kWh lithium-ion battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in just one hour, thus enabling continuous use throughout the working day.
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