Meet Green

“Our zero emission portfolio already includes everything a customer needs to operate an urban construction site without any direct emissions,” says Alexander Greschner, CSO of the Wacker Neuson Group. The challenge now lies in delivering solutions to support the customer’s entire ecosystem, spanning the charging infrastructure, services, financing options, different usage models and battery lifecycle management.

Wacker Neuson in action

From rammers to excavators, Wacker Neuson’s zero emission portfolio already provides customers with everything they need to operate an urban construction site with no local emissions. This was proven yet again in summer 2022 when the center of Barcelona was dug up to lay new water pipes. Homs Rentals, a construction equipment rental company from Spain, provided the contractor Sorigué with zero emission products from Wacker Neuson to carry out the work. “This was one of the first construction projects in Spain to rely exclusively on emissions-free equipment. The machines were used for every step in the process, from breaking and excavation to filling and compaction,” explains Marc Homs, Chief Financial Officer of Homs Rentals. Wacker Neuson’s new Charging Box was also trialed on the construction site. The batteries of all the electric equipment used on site could be charged with this mobile power station overnight or during work breaks.

In harmony with nature

The zero emission range is ideal not just for typical urban construction sites, but also for special settings such as the Bettmeralp municipality in the Swiss Alps. It was here that zero emission  products were used to landscape a mountain bike trail that is almost three kilometers long. “We love the Alps, and working in this special setting without noise or exhaust emissions puts us in a really good mood,” says Roman Gadient, trail builder with the contractor Velosolutions. “As a trail builder in the Alps, it goes without saying that we carry a huge responsibility to respect the balance of nature in such a sensitive setting.” To ensure harmony, the company not only used e-equipment, but also transported all the battery-powered machines to and from the site with an electric truck.

From product to process solution

A portfolio of battery-powered equipment that can always be relied on to deliver is only part of the picture. Equally important – and a key focus area of the Wacker Neuson Group – are services and solutions supporting the entire process flow on emission-free construction sites. The company has its sights set on the complete ecosystem, including the charging infrastructure. This is what
inspired the Charging Box, a power bank specially for construction sites. This mobile 25 kWh power station based on lithium-ion batteries can deliver a steady stream of power – wherever it is
needed. This means that it is now possible to charge not only the batteries of hand-operated light equipment, but also those of the larger compact models.

Simply change: #switchtogreen

Financial services like rental, special financing deals and subsidies make it easier for customers to switch to a world without carbon emissions. Rental equipment in particular is a great way for customers to put zero emission equipment to the test and experience the performance, runtime and ease of operation benefits on their own real-world construction sites. Operate Lease is a special financing solution for zero emission compact equipment. It allows customers to use the machine for the agreed term in return for a low monthly fee with no obligation to buy. Wacker Neuson will soon be releasing a subsidy calculator to give interested buyers a transparent overview of the grants available for zero emission equipment.

Building on the many years of experience it has already gained in the emission-free segment, the Wacker Neuson Group can offer valuable hands-on insights into battery performance. Experience has shown that batteries remain highly efficient even after several years in service and that they can therefore easily be redeployed to other applications like energy storage. The Wacker Neuson Group is working with research institutes to develop second life concepts for its batteries.

One of the highlights unveiled in 2022 was Battery One, a standardized and user-friendly battery system designed for the sustainable use of light equipment with zero CO2 emissions. Not only is the battery compatible with all Wacker Neuson battery-electric equipment (battery-powered rammers and vibratory plates and the ACBe internal vibrator system for concrete compaction), it also works with equipment from other manufacturers. The development of a standard battery makes construction site operations and logistics much simpler for customers as they only have to manage one type of battery and a single charging system. This battery can already power 13 different products – and that’s just from Wacker Neuson’s range. More are set to follow.