Awesome Alibaba: Low-cost backyard construction equipment, batteries included

Regular readers of my Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column will know that I usually dig around Chinese shopping sites to find the wackiest and coolest little EVs in the world. That’s resulted in finding everything from electric submarines to mini electric Jeeps. But this time, I’d say that today’s vehicles are less weird and more awesome, especially if you’ve been looking for your own electric-powered construction equipment for your property or work site. These little electric mini loaders could be the perfect size for hobby farms and small ranches. And they’re pretty darn affordable too!
Expand Expanding CloseWeird Alibaba: Ordering a giant cement mixer electric truck online is the future, today

Laggards beware: No transportation industry is safe from electrification. It’s going to drag you, kicking and screaming if necessary, into the future. That’s true whether we’re talking about planes, trains, or automobiles, or even cement mixers. And not only are electric cement mixers now a thing, but you can order one straight from China. Learn all about it in this week’s edition of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week.
Expand Expanding CloseCheck out this new electric telescopic crawler crane – the first in its weight class

German crane maker Sennebogen last week debuted a 50-metric-ton electric telescopic crawler crane – the first battery-powered crane in its weight class.
Expand Expanding CloseKomatsu’s first electric mid-size hydraulic excavator packs a Proterra battery

US battery maker Proterra and multinational Komatsu partnered in January 2021 to develop electric mid-sized hydraulic excavators, and today they announced that Komatsu’s first 20-ton class lithium-ion battery electric machine is ready for debut.
Expand Expanding CloseWeird Alibaba: Who wants this cheap 33 ft electric cherry picker straight from China?

Some of you who follow this tongue-in-cheek series may know that I’ve long sought after an electric aircraft from Alibaba to bestow upon it the dubious honor of being featured here. I’ve gotten close, but no cigar. I still haven’t caught my white whale this week on China’s largest online shopping platform Alibaba, but they say if you’re going to shoot for the stars, then you’d better aim for the lowest one. And that’s what I plan to do with my very own electric aerial work platform. Or as we called them as kids, cherry pickers.
Expand Expanding CloseRoyal BAM announces ‘world’s first’ fully electric road paver and massive 270 kWh batteries

Dutch civil engineering company Royal BAM has announced a fully-electric asphalt spreading road paver, which will save more than 93,000 kilograms of CO₂ and 115,000 grams of nitrous oxide emissions compared to its bio-diesel counterparts.
Expand Expanding CloseHeavy-duty, go-anywhere electric 6×6 truck from EMotive gets funded

Devon, UK-based EV startup Emotive recently surpassed its crowdfunding goals and now plans to develop its heavy-duty electric 6×6 to meet the growing electric demands of the UK’s fire rescue, farm, forestry, and adventure tourism markets.
Expand Expanding CloseBobcat reveals world’s first* all-electric track loader at CES

Doosan Bobcat launched its new, all-electric Bobcat T7X compact track loader at CES this week, calling it the first fully electric machine of this kind to reach the market. Even better news for Bobcat fans: they’ve already sold a whole bunch of ’em.
But wait, there are already electric loaders on the market, aren’t there? What makes this Bobcat a “world’s first”? Read on.
Expand Expanding CloseVolvo showcases its electric construction equipment ahead of full rollout in 2022

Following a pilot program in Southern California lasting nearly a year, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) publicly showcased the capabilities and quietness of its battery electric construction equipment. The results of the pilot were announced live in Los Angeles today alongside a streaming event that featured a live demonstration of Volvo CE’s ECR25 Electric compact excavator.
Expand Expanding CloseHonda made the cutest electric micro-excavator ever, and it uses electric motorcycle batteries

So here’s the thing: I’m an electric motorcycle guy. And I’ve also kind of got a thing for electric excavators. Those two interests have exactly nothing to do with each other — until now, that is. Honda’s new electric micro-digger powered by electric motorcycle batteries is the cutest little hodgepodge of construction equipment that I never knew I needed.
Expand Expanding CloseAwesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week: Cheap electric backyard construction vehicles!

Remember those days as a kid, playing with Tonka trucks? Back when your wildest fantasy was running your own cute little sandbox construction site, ordering toy trucks and cranes to move around loads of dirt all willy-nilly like those tiny drivers weren’t getting paid by the hour? Well, just because you’ve grown up now and had to start acting like an adult doesn’t mean you can’t still play with adult-sized construction toys! And now, with compact electric construction equipment appearing on the scene, you can even be the foreman of your own backyard construction project without bothering the neighbors!
Expand Expanding CloseCase unveils all-electric backhoe with 90% lower cost of operation

Electrification goes beyond the passenger car industry and it is now starting to take hold in the construction equipment industry.
Case, one of the largest construction equipment companies, has unveiled a new all-electric backhoe, which it claims has up to 90% lower cost of operation.
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Construction equipment is going electric, Volvo CE now favors electric over diesel for smaller machines

Volvo CE, the Volvo Group’s construction equipment subsidiary, announced that it will stop development of diesel engine-based compact wheel loaders and compact excavators in order to sell electric versions instead.
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