Overseas Operation Site Report / ZERO EMISSION EV-LAB

European countries are accelerating the shift to green energy. The EU has made carbon neutrality by 2050 a legal obligation. Governments, particularly in Northern Europe, are providing subsidies to introduce zero-emission construction machinery. In The Netherlands, for example, construction machinery used in public works is recommended to be zero emission. At a redevelopment site in Arnhem, a city in southern The Netherlands, involving civil engineering, sewerage, and infrastructure pipe laying, Hitachi Construction Machinery’s 8-ton class battery-powered excavator was introduced.

This excavator was rented through Pellen B.V., the local Hitachi Construction Machinery dealer. Operator Wil van Gerven, has used Hitachi Construction Machinery excavators for 25 years, evaluates, stating, “Its performance and operability are on par with those of engine-powered hydraulic excavators.” Mr. Jürgen van Uijthoven, the owner of the local construction company J. van Uijthoven & Zn. BV, which handled the construction work, said, “This battery-powered excavator allows us to participate in public works projects.”

Zambia, located in southern Africa, has long been a major copper producer, with numerous mines still in operation today. Starting in 2024, Hitachi Construction Machinery conducted a technological feasibility trial of an ultra-large, fully electric rigid dump truck at the Kansanshi copper and gold mine in northwestern Zambia, which was successfully completed. The project is now advancing to the next phase toward commercialization. The terrain of the open-pit mine, which features significant elevation changes, provides an ideal environment for verifying the dump truck’s fundamental performance and battery charge/discharge cycles. With over 90% of Zambia’s power generation coming from renewable energy sources, primarily hydropower, the project shows promise in reducing CO₂ emissions at the mining site.