Electrifying construction equipment is the first part of a longer campaign to redefine how machines are designed and operate.

Constructor sector consultants Alan Berger and Carl-Gustaf Goransson believe that equipment has been on a path towards harmonisation for several years, noting that the difference in performance and fuel efficiency between different brand and model machines has been declining.

But this could change as there ae now over 20 different potential energy sources for construction equipment. After more than 70 years of refinement of the same basic technologies – diesel engines applying power through mechanical geartrains and hydraulics. However, new technologies are, by definition, immature, with significant – as yet untapped – opportunities. This creates potential for an entirely new race to develop the best machine for each application – with the winners being those who figure out to get the best performance in the smallest and most energy efficient package.

Existing suppliers such as JCB and Caterpillar are exploring new solutions to the problem, but as they grapple with a range of possible solutions, there are lessons to be taken from the automotive industry where new entrants (the obvious example being Tesla) and well-funded Asian competitors have upset the incumbents.

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