New hybrid excavator from Hitachi
Construction equipment manufacturer introduces latest ZH210-6 model at Matexpo 2017
HITACHI Construction Machinery (Europe) NV have unveiled, for the first time in Europe, their newest hybrid excavator – the ZH210-6 – at the biennial Matexpo exhibition in Belgium.
The new hybrid model has the lowest-ever fuel consumption for a Hitachi medium-size hydraulic excavator and has been designed to further reduce carbon emissions and running costs. Incorporating proven technology, an advanced hydraulic system and a new lightweight arm, the ZH210-6 achieves this without compromising on high levels of performance and ease of operation.
Compared with the previous ZH-5 hybrid model, it uses 12% less fuel (in both PWR and ECO modes), and compared with the standard ZX210-6 machine, it offers a 20% fuel saving. The ZH210-6 hybrid combines a 73kW diesel engine (smaller than the ZH210-5 unit) with an electric power-assist motor (44kW), which results in reduced fuel consumption.
The diesel engine output alone is sufficient for normal operation, but when maximum power is required for heavy workloads, the electric assist motor is used as well. This makes the new hybrid model more efficient than the ZH210-5 and standard ZX210-6 units.
A new electrical storage device for the ZH210-6 has also been adopted. Instead of using the capacitor, like the ZH210-5, the new model is equipped with a large-capacity lithium-ion battery developed by Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
This has significantly increased continuous output to the electric power-assist motor, which means it is able to support the engine power for a greater length of time. During light operation, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the lithium-ion battery unit – similar to the way this works in a hybrid car.
The hydraulic TRIAS-HX II system in the previous model has been updated and enhanced on the ZH210-6 hybrid to improve the efficiency of the hydraulic system and further reduce fuel consumption. The hydraulic electric swing has also been improved, with a maximum torque of 220Nm, compared with 160Nm on the ZH210-5 machine.
Unlike the standard Zaxis-6 hydraulic excavators, the ZH210-6 hybrid does not use SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology, which means fewer additional costs for owners, as AdBlue is not required. Instead, the new model complies with Stage IV standards by incorporating an advanced diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter (DPF).
The arm of the ZH210-6 hybrid hydraulic excavator is manufactured from high-tensile steel that is 15% lighter than on the standard arm of both the ZH210-5 and ZX210-6. This means that less power is required to move the arm, contributing to a decrease in fuel consumption.
Hitachi say they have conducted thorough tests to ensure the durability of the arm despite the significant weight reduction. Owners and operators in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and the UK are currently taking part in user tests for the new Hitachi hybrid hydraulic excavator, which will continue until early 2018.
Burkhard Janssen, general manager – product management and engineering for Hitachi Construction Machinery, said: ‘The ZH210-6 has been developed using proven Hitachi technology combined with future innovations. It brings together technologies from the entire Hitachi group and features industry-leading components to achieve considerably less fuel consumption than previous models.’
