23 E-Mobility Engineering | July/August 2026 were driven by requests from the market, especially places like Scandinavia. “It was the right time with the technology. Our company started with the LB 16 unplugged – where 16 means the drilling torque – and this is a small machine in this business. We put the components together with the motor, the battery concept, the heating and cooling system, and this was the start to also see what the market reaction was. Soon after getting on the first job site, there were more and more enquiries coming in for other machines, for crawler cranes and also for bigger drilling rigs. “We have expanded the unplugged drilling rig now to an LB 30, which is double the size of the first one in torque, so it can achieve a bigger diameter and go deeper. We have also introduced five crawler cranes, including with 300 tonnes lifting capacity, along with three drilling rigs and the two piling machines. Liebherr’s electric range Liebherr’s two piling rigs sit within a growing range of unplugged construction vehicles, which started with drilling machines and has also expanded into crawler cranes. Michael Flecker, Liebherr’s head of sales for crawler cranes, started his career at Liebherr in 2005 as an international fitter. He was central to the introduction of the first unplugged crawler cranes at the end of 2020 and has quickly seen the advantages they offer for all those involved. “Demand for electric construction machines is particularly high among customers in northern Europe – led by the Scandinavian countries and Great Britain, which are pioneers in the field of zero emissions,” he says. “Five unplugged machines are as loud as one diesel-powered machine. Many customers choose our battery-powered machines because they believe in the technology and want to be the first to use it in their market. In some countries, this is actually a distinct competitive advantage.” Crawler Cranes These large mobile lifting machines are commonly used on major construction, infrastructure, energy and industrial projects for lifting extremely heavy loads – for example, erecting bridges, high-rise buildings, petrochemical plants and wind turbines. They use tracked undercarriages to distribute the weight over a wide surface area, enabling them to operate on soft ground and uneven terrain. The crane body is comprised of a crawler base with a rotating upper structure, on top of which is a boom system for lifting, counterweights for stability and powerful hoist winches. The largest examples can lift more than 3000 tonnes, depending on configuration, and they are often required to move around a site while carrying suspended loads. Crawler cranes represent one of the most advanced electrification programmes in heavy lifting equipment and Liebherr now offers five battery-electric versions: the LR 1130.1 unplugged, LR 1160.1 unplugged, LR 1200.1 unplugged, LR 1250.1 unplugged and LR 1300.2 SX unplugged. The cranes retain the structural and hydraulic characteristics of the conventional LR crawler crane family, while replacing the diesel powertrain with electric motors and battery systems. As with the piling rigs, they are designed around a dual-operating concept with capability to work directly from a mains power supply or operate autonomously from onboard batteries. The vehicles use a high-capacity Li-ion battery system combined with a full electric drive architecture, with the capability of operating for up to eight hours on battery power depending on duty cycle and load demand, and a charging time of between 4.5 and 8.5 hours, depending on available site infrastructure. The largest machine, the LR 1300.2 SX unplugged, has a 392 kWh battery pack and a 438 kW electric motor, enabling up to 13 hours of operation without a mains connection. The smallest model, the LR 1130.1 unplugged, delivers a maximum lifting capacity of 137 tonnes, a maximum hoist height of 126 m and a maximum radius of 78 m. The LR 1160.1 unplugged increases capacity to 160 tonnes with a 136 m hoist height and 84 m radius; the LR 1200.1 unplugged offers 220 tonne lifting capability, a 148 m maximum hoist height and a 103 m working radius; the LR 1250.1 unplugged reaches 250 tonnes capacity with the same 148 m maximum hoist height and a 97 m radius; and at the top of the range, the LR 1300.2 SX unplugged provides a 300 tonne maximum lifting capacity, 169 m hoist height and 143 m maximum radius. The machines are specifically suitable for urban construction, tunnels, industrial plants and environmentally sensitive projects where diesel exhaust and noise restrictions are critical and zero local emissions are required. The electric driveline also substantially reduces operating noise. As with the piling rigs, drive is not the primary concern – the vehicles move very little on site – but the LR 1250.1 unplugged batteries contain enough energy for general lifting operations, erecting the main boom with a luffing jib and travelling up to 650 m on site. Drilling Rigs These heavy construction machines are used to create deep holes in the ground for foundations, geotechnical work, mining or energy applications. In the construction industry, they are primarily used to install bored piles and foundation shafts that support buildings, bridges, tunnels and other large structures. The machines are of similar design to pilling rigs and typically consist of a tracked carrier, a vertical mast or leader, a rotary drive system and specialised high-torque drilling tools such as augers or drilling buckets, which cut into soil, clay or rock while extracting material from the borehole. Modern rigs can drill holes several metres in diameter and reaching depths of more than 70 m, and Liebherr is leading the way in creating battery-electric unplugged versions that reduce emissions and operating noise on urban construction sites. The company has two electric drilling rigs – the LB 25 unplugged and the LB 30 unplugged – which both use the same core philosophy as the unplugged cranes and pilers, offering identical operating performance to their equivalent diesel machines. The LB 25 unplugged has an operating weight ranging from 71.1 to 82.1 tonnes, depending on configuration, with a maximum drilling torque of 252 kNm and a drilling depth of 53.2 m for diameters up to 3300 mm. The larger LB 30 unplugged increases operating capability significantly, with an operating weight of up to 85.5 tonnes, a maximum drilling torque of 297 kNm and a depth of up to 70.8 m for diameters of up to 3400 mm, making it more suitable for large-scale bridge foundations, high-rise projects and deep geotechnical installations. Across the unplugged family, the focus is on reducing emissions, lowering noise and maintaining full-duty-cycle productivity. The rigs are intended for projects where diesel emissions, vibration and acoustic output are major operational constraints – an increasingly important factor across the world. By electrifying heavy deepfoundation equipment without reducing torque, drilling depth or pile handling capability, the construction sector can continue to operate with a zero-emission foundation.
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