The new electric wheel excavator DX165W: How does it drive?

'Just as fast as the diesel variant'
Frank van der Pol is the operator who can operate the very first Electric DX165W from Den Ouden. Veldhoven has been his base in recent months. Den Ouden is now carrying out the final work here for the 'Green Blue Zone' project. This includes the redesign of the park area between the districts 't Look, Heikant and Oerle. Does the electric machine dig completely differently? Not at all, says Frank. “It digs, turns and drives just as fast as the diesel variant. The controls in the cabin are also comparable.”

“But I have to admit that it takes some getting used to loading the excavator. It works simply, that's not the challenge. It is a matter of driving to the charging point where we charge with green energy, plug in and the machine is charged the next morning. What makes it awkward is that you are less flexible. I can't just continue working longer, because that won't reach the battery." Because we at Den Ouden are real go-getters and like to go the extra mile, we have now purchased an extra battery pack to work more flexibly.

Goals
We carry out the redevelopment for the municipality of Veldhoven. The municipality aims to reduce the environmental impact when carrying out infrastructure works. Den Ouden fits in seamlessly with the use of the Electric DX165W. The crane does not emit CO2, nitrogen or particulate matter and saves 1.6 tons of CO2 per week compared to a diesel excavator. This amount is equivalent to more than 2.5 flights back and forth between Amsterdam and Rome. What do Frank and his colleagues notice in practice of these CO2 savings? “When you stand around the excavator, you don't smell any exhaust fumes. It works well for everyone.”

Emission-free construction
As a family business, we want to ensure that several generations after us can live and work comfortably and safely in their living environment. “We do this by building and working without emissions,” says Harm den Ouden, director of Infrastructure, Bodac & Equipment at Den Ouden. “In addition to the new Electric DX165W, our emission-free machine/vehicle fleet consists of an electric mini shovel, electric 4-ton mini excavator, electric 9-ton midi excavator and electric commercial cars and vans. At the moment, two more electric trucks, an electric mobile crawler excavator, an electric 25-ton crawler crane, an electric 30-ton crawler crane and twelve electric commercial vehicles are on their way," says Harm. “We will soon have a first with the purchase of the first electric crane combination in the Netherlands.”