TRENDS

“ You can ’ t learn if you don ’ t have any machines out there . It ’ s harder to learn from the sidelines . For us , that ’ s our approach ,” said Brady Lewis , product manager for emerging products and technology at Case New Holland .

I was searching the Case website to look at mini excavators when a pop-up a window invited me to “ Check Out Our Full EV Lineup .” Then , “ Learn more about what Case EV machines can do for your business .”

The Case EV lineup includes three models available now , and two listed as “ coming soon .” The CX15 EV mini excavator and the SL22 small articulated loader easily fit in our loose definition of compact equipment . The 580 EV , the world ’ s first electric backhoe loader , might not quite fit the compact equipment definition for all , but with its 1,036 lb ., 400V lithium-ion battery , it ’ s attention grabbing for sure . And it ’ s an example of Case ’ s EV work in progress .

While electrification of outdoor power equipment has grown mostly due to consumer interest in small handheld tools , Case is one of a few manufacturers leading the charge for electrification on the commercial side . A “ new tool that lets you tackle new kinds of jobs ,” boasts the Case EV webpage . We were curious how the manufacturer got here , and what it is learning along the way .

“ If you do enough Googling , you ’ ll see we ’ ve been talking about an electric backhoe since 2020 . We announced the first machine and it was very much customer driven ,” said Lewis . “ Some big utility customers came to us and said , ‘ We produce and sell electricity and we ’ d really like to have an electric power backhoe .’ We partnered with them and that has been a huge learning exercise on both sides . They ’ re seeing how an electric vehicle can fit in their application and we ’ re learning a lot .”

Lewis admits that Case has learned a lot from auto makers with EVs , but the application , he said , is very different . “ You ’ re not driving it down the highway then pulling off to put it on the fast charger .”

Nor is it simply a conversion from a diesel machine to an electric . “ There ’ s a lot of tuning especially when you talk about controls and feel ,” Lewis said . Operators of diesel backhoes know how their machines sound and feel . “ How does the sound or lack thereof drive an operator ’ s perception ? On a diesel machine , you hear it bog down and you can tell , ‘ Oh I ’ m really putting it to it .’ You don ’ t hear that on EV .”

This electric equipment is also changing the way Case introduces machines to dealers . “ It ’ s not just checking the boxes like another product launch ,” said Lewis . “ They will need to have a certain charging station set up for their products . When it comes to servicing the machine , there are safety guidelines for working with a high voltage system and dealers need to train technicians . They need to have the right protective gear . We have to amp up our launch rollout because we need to help build that foundational knowledge .”

“ I can ’ t sit here and tell you I know it ’ s going to take over the world by such and such a date ,” Lewis said . “ But we have the products out there and are focusing in on how the customers are using these first-generation products . That ’ s how we learn and improve .”

For more of my interview with Brady Lewis from Case , visit our website .

22 OPE + October 2024 www . OPE-Plus . com