27 E-Mobility Engineering | July/August 2026 four, eight and 12 hours continuoususe power, respectively, which may sound limiting for a construction site – but the way the power is used, when compared with how the diesel version operates, ensures it will comfortably last a full day shift. “With a diesel motor, the operator starts it up in the morning and it runs for the whole day,” explains Mewes. “It takes around 20 minutes to drive a 20 or 30 m pile into the ground, and the process of bringing the next pile in – depending on crew capability – will usually take around the same amount of time. The diesel machine just keeps running throughout that entire process, staying on idle while the pile is loaded, whereas the electric machine pretty much falls asleep. “During the pile loading process, there is no need to use up any energy with the electric, except a small amount that we use to process data. We have a system that can transfer all the data wherever our customers are in the world, wherever they are on the road, so we need some energy to deliver that as a piling diary. The standard unit has a capacity of 588 kWh and that is good for a day shift on a typical job site, which is 12–15 hours. Then, they can charge the batteries again overnight using job site electrics or gensets.” The biggest challenge, Mewes says, is convincing customers that there is little to no danger that they will run out of battery power on site. “They like the diesel engines because they can see it is always running,” he smiles. “When we show our customers the electric, we have to explain that the battery is never empty and they cannot really believe that they always have some energy in the machine, even if the battery is running out. On some sites, for example, they’re working two shifts, non-stop, so they just plug it in.” On most electric vehicles, keeping battery weight to a minimum is vital to achieve the highest possible range. On the piling carriers, and other vehicles in the unplugged range, that is far less important – because the range is barely a few kilometres per day. In fact, weight only becomes an issue when it comes to transporting the machinery to and from site, where the extra weight reduces fuel consumption on the carrier and increases transportation emissions. However, despite the significant weight addition of the battery storage, Mewes says the removal of other aspects related to the diesel machine means the electric version tops out at a mere 200 kg more than its diesel equivalent. Once on site, that additional weight is actually a benefit, and Mewes explains: “We use counter-weights in the back of the carrier to help the stability of the piling rig. So, the weight of the battery can help us in critical situations, particularly where we have inclination piling, backward and forward and sideward – so battery weight is actually a benefit sometimes.” Four ways to a more sustainable future The Liebherr Group invested €708 million in R&D activities last year, with the focus firmly on new machines, components, digital solutions and forward-looking technologies that seek to reduce emissions, improve site conditions and take construction into a new era. As part of this, the company has been working closely with universities, higher education institutions and research organisations around the world. The work has focused on a range of different aspects covering autonomy, alternative drive technologies, electrification and digitalisation. Here are a few of the areas they have focused on. Digital assistance The development of new digital solutions has been a priority as they often deliver improved efficiencies on existing machinery but also come as a precursor to potential electrification in a wide range of operational activities. The company’s biggest advances for deep foundation machines have been the MyJobsite App – a one-stop-shop that will record, display, analyse, manage and evaluate machine, construction site and position data in deep foundation work; the LIPOS positioning system – which enables more precise execution of piling or drilling processes using satellite navigation technology to assist the driver in aligning attachments and tools precisely; its Process data recording PDE system; and the Foundation Equipment Planner – which helps engineers and project planners calculate load capacities and ground pressures for every permissible configuration. Alternative drive Electrification is not the only focus for Liebherr’s emissions reduction – and in 2025, a key milestone was achieved with the first wheel loader powered by a hydrogen engine. This is already in field operation and central to its development was the in-house LiGO Injection Systems technology, which enables flexible injection of alternative fuels such as hydrogen, methanol, ethanol or ammonia. At the same time, Liebherr has been expanding its range of battery-electrically operated machines to include excavators, wheel loaders, mining trucks, pilling rigs and cranes. The Liebherr Liduro Power Port, an energy storage system for power supply on construction sites, allows for locally emission-free operation and charging of hybrid or fully electric construction machinery and equipment on sites. Refurbished technologies Developing new emissions-free technologies is not the only element to making construction sites more environmentally friendly. The responsible handling of existing products is also a key element for sustainability, and that means keeping machines and components in operation for as long as possible. The innovative remanufacturing programme from the Liebherr Group achieves this by taking a more methodical approach to management and servicing – taking components such as engines or gearboxes and completely dismantling, inspecting, reconditioning and restoring them to an as-new condition. This helps reduce demand for new raw materials and lowers CO2 emissions across the product life cycle – while also offering an economically attractive and technically tested alternative to new components.
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