At this year’s UTCA conference, HEVI was told our equipment was too large for the venue’s freight elevators. So, we instead unveiled a massive 2-ton lithium-iron-phosphate battery that captivated attendees with its sheer size and power.

The event, held inside the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., from Sept. 28-30, included more than 100 exhibitors. All presented their latest offerings and solutions in construction equipment, technology and services.

But none displayed what HEVI showed at Booth #87: an enclosed 2-ton lithium battery with a 141-kilowatt-hour capacity. The enclosed battery stood six feet tall and showcased the source of our equipment’s power and dependability. In comparison, the battery inside a compact electric excavator on display across the aisle offered just 20 kilowatt hours. In fact, our battery display was as big as the excavator’s entire cab.

“When you see other machines getting 3 or 4 hours of runtime,” said Stanley Wang, Director of Product Development, “it’s because their batteries are usually a third of the size or smaller than those found in HEVI’s machines.”

“Battery capacity, safety and recharging were three of the top concerns expressed by attendees that visited our booth,” added Dana Hopkins, COO. “With our battery sitting on the floor we were able to show everyone the various safety measures we’ve implemented. Being that it was the biggest battery any of our visitors have seen, its size really illustrated the power it can provide to our equipment. Finally, our unique charging solutions, which we developed in conjunction with our batteries, closed the loop and showed how our equipment can be a viable option for our customers.”

The hundreds of attendees at UTCA also asked us the following questions about our electric loaders and excavators:

• What is the ROI on HEVI electric construction equipment? HEVI’s electric motor eliminates diesel fuel and has significantly fewer moving parts, translating into less maintenance and fewer breakdowns.

• What are the best applications for your equipment? HEVI electric equipment is designed to work where it lives. In their current form, they are best used on static sites, like incinerators or DPW yards. These are worksites where heavy equipment rarely gets far from their refueling source. The GEL-5000, for instance, is an ideal yard machine, hauling and loading materials and never wasting power as they idle, which was another commonly discussed topic.

• How safe is the battery? Our batteries are as safe as they are powerful. They are all built with a state-of-the-art thermal management system (TMS), which monitors and regulates the battery temperature, prevents overheating and optimizes performance. They are also housed inside a durable, half-inch-thick steel cage to protect against external impact, theft, or damage.

• Can our batteries be recycled? Yes! Our commitment to sustainability continues when our products reach the end of their lifecycles. All our batteries are designed to be recycled and repurposed, and we’ve partnered with a pioneering clean-tech company, Princeton NuEnergy (PNE), to ensure it happens. PNE specializes in extracting valuable materials from the spent batteries of our machines. This collaboration creates a truly circular economy and ensures lithium battery remnants are transformed into new valuable resources, not tossed into landfills. A poster-sized infographic at the front of our booth explained how we’ve created a truly circular economy.

• Where can our electric heavy equipment be used? With no operating emissions and significantly less noise and vibration, HEVI electric construction equipment expands where you can do business—in new sectors, sensitive environments, buzzing urban areas and even indoors—under almost any regulatory requirement.

Thank you to everyone who visited us at UTCA. For those who missed us or couldn’t attend, you can learn more about our fleet of electric loaders and excavators by visiting our equipment and mobile DC charging web pages or by sending us a message. We’d love to show you what you missed and explain how our products and solutions can help your business.