The XE35U-E, China's XCMG's all-electric excavator, is exhibited at the 2020 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 11, 2020. At the 2020 CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition for construction and agricultural equipment, currently running in Las Vegas until Saturday, China's leading manufacturer, XCMG, unveiled the industry's first all-electric excavator, the XE35U-E. (Xinhua/Huang Heng)
By Julia Pierrepont
LAS VEGAS, the United States, March 13 -- At the 2020 CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition for construction and agricultural equipment, currently running in Las Vegas until Saturday, China's leading manufacturer, XCMG, unveiled the industry's first all-electric excavator, the XE35U-E.
"It's the first of its kind in the world," XCMG's American Region General Manager, Xie Bin, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview in front of the construction vehicle. "The XE35U-E is a breakthrough innovation for the construction industry, a 100 percent electric vehicle, not a hybrid."
The XE35U-E, or "Blue Boy" as it's affectionately called, is a handsome, compact, all-electric mini-excavator with a snazzy blue and black finish, bright red tines on its durable digging arm, and a powerful, ground-level, forward-facing grading scoop positioned for maximum power between its front treads.
With an operating weight of 4,200 kg, a bucket capacity of 1.6 cubic yards, a boom length of 8'5 feet, an engine power of 18.2/2200 kw/rpm, and a 12-hour operational worktime between charges, the "Blue Boy" is an action-packed dynamo in a compact package.
Its sturdy, compact form can operate in tight places that larger machines can't, while its reinforced infrastructure, upgraded undercarriage, and stress-dispersing design still enables it to handle heavy workloads over the course of a full working day without recharging.
Its comfortable, roomy, and well-designed cab is proving to be a favorite with operators and offers heating, air conditioning, seat belts, cup holders, backup power, and a dashboard with a bright visual display that also monitors the entire machine's status in real-time to ensure high performance and worry-free maintenance alerts.
And, better still, as a battery-driven, all-electric machine, it is a whisper-quiet vehicle that does not require operators to wear cumbersome protective earphones or risk the same occupational hearing loss as high decibel, diesel engine operators.
Most important of all, the "Blue Boy" is not a prototype but a real product that clients can book at the largest North America construction trade show. Xie's interview was interrupted by several calls from his colleagues to sign a contract with a local dealer.
"Green tech doesn't get better than this, it is cool," Victor Geiger, an American contractor from Idaho in the western United States, told Xinhua as he checked out the "Blue Boy."
Steven Chorney, President of the XCMG crane dealership in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, told Xinhua, "We specialize in cranes, so, 'Blue Boy' is not a line we handle, but it is very impressive. from an environmental perspective, it's a great unit."
As China becomes a world leader in government programs and regulations designed to promote the use of electric vehicles and green tech, XCMG is pushing that mandate to the max.
"The world has a long way to go for green tech," Xie said in his interview, "But our 'Blue Boy' is the first machine to go 100 percent electric with zero emissions. And soon we will have more 'family members' for it," he promised.
"We are going to make a better world," he predicted, "one construction site at a time."
XCMG takes pride in creating powerful, durable machines that combine beautifully-crafted, rock-hard iron bodies with exquisite industrial designs that feature high performance parameters, unparalleled maneuverability and high work productivity.
To demonstrate this in an amusing and masterful way, XCMG's expert machine operators displayed the Blue Boy's finesse and precision control by using its dexterous bucket to drop basketballs through a hoop and slice fruit on a balloon without popping it.
XCMG, founded in 1943, has led way in the Chinese construction equipment industry's globalization efforts since the early 1990s. Now, 30 years on, they are the 6th largest CE manufacturer in the world, with their products sold in 184 countries and regions, ranking number one in many regions of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
They have established 15 overseas manufacturing facilities, 40 overseas offices, 300 overseas distributors, and they are setting their sights on expanding their footprint in the United States and bringing green tech and other innovations to the American market.
"We believe science, technology and innovation is a key part of the next generation of equipment and green tech," explained Xie. "We want to create new machinery for the construction world to reduce pollution and increase efficiency. That's why we built 'Blue Boy.'"
"We will continue to develop new equipment, create new momentum, and make unremitting efforts to save energy, reduce emissions and improve work efficiency," said Liu Jiansen, Vice President of XCMG Machinery and General Manager of XCMG Import and Export Ltd.
To better serve their U.S. customers and dealers, XCMG has instituted a worldwide, quick-response after-sale system for enhanced customer service, rapid maintenance, and access to real-time technical consultations for their clients and dealers.
"For the next 3 years, we will focus on building an excellent dealer network in the U.S. and Canada," disclosed Xie.
They plan to hire at least 50 dealers across the United States so they can give strong support to their customers through XCMG's after-sale services, parts and maintenance warranties, said Xie, adding that once XCMG has built up North American sales of their various product lines, they would be interested in establishing other factories in the United States.
"XCMG is committed to increasing local employment and economic development in the United States," Xie stressed.
