MOOG Construction’s energy skunkworks ZQUIP made headlines last year by bringing the cordless power tool battery model to the world of industrial-grade heavy equipment – now, they’re making it even easier for job sites to make every kilowatt count by enabling them to switch from diesel to electric and back, on the same machine. (!)

Battery swapping. The idea is simple enough, and its widespread adoption over the last two or three decades of power tools has proven its effectiveness in some of the toughest proving grounds the world over. Construction sites, demolition crews, and landscapers trust their cordless tools – and they’ve often wondered aloud when the EV industry will catch up with the hardware space.

MOOG Construction’s ZQUIP seemed to be the first Western company to get on the ball, developing a proof-of-concept model built on a Caterpillar CAT 308 8-ton excavator that took the conventional diesel machine into a quiet, 140 kW, zero-emissions excavator ready to go to work on urban projects with strict noise regulation challenges or on environmentally sensitive zero drip job sites. Each of its 140 kWh battery packs Energy Modules could be removed and “hot swapped” with a freshly charged pack without the need to get the machine back to a charging station, or the need to stop work.

But what if you need something different? What if you find yourself in a situation where continuous power is needed and access to grid power and gensets are both limited?

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For that, you need a diesel – and ZQUIP’s latest ZQ140 diesel-powered genset Energy Module works like an EREV to provide a continuous supply of kW to the big CAT’s electric motors, keeping it running 24/7 (or until the tanker runs out of diesel, anyway). The solution eliminates the need for fleet managers or rental companies to carry two assets, and enables buyers to decarbonize where they can without wasting resources on duplicating machinery, or duplicating battery capacity.

“Imagine a construction site with six ZQuip machines,” offers Kathy Wells. “Two need 800 kWh of battery capacity while four require 400 kWh. The total energy for the day equals 3.2 mWh. In contrast, today’s traditional all-electric vehicles might come equipped with an 800-kWh battery on each of the six machines mentioned above.”

In Wells’ scenario, the fleet owner would effectively be paying for 50% more battery capacity than they need. That’s not only capacity that would go unused, it could be argued that the raw materials spent making those batteries could be put to better use elsewhere.

And if fleet managers get the math wrong? Kathy says that’s fine, too. “(Fleets) optimize each machine by installing the appropriate number of ZQUIP Energy Modules — and, if necessary, swap them across any machine on the job site.”

Hot swapping modules

In addition to optimizing battery capacity and introducing greater energy flexibility into a job site’s operations, the ZQUIP modules increase uptime by eliminating the need to rotate the machine out of operation for engine maintenance.

“The diesel power modules have a 1.2-by-0.8-meter footprint and stand 1.1 meters high, the same dimensions as a 140-kWh ZQUIP battery power module, or ZQ140. The diesel power module has a 25kW continuous rating, 48-liter tank, and IoT-connected ZQUIP software. “Unlike traditional machines,” reads the ZQUIP release, “ZQUIP vehicle owners do not spend money to take a machine out of service and transport it for engine maintenance. Workers can easily and cost-effectively transport, swap out and maintain the diesel power module while the operator and machine continue working with new power modules.”

ZQUIP will have a presence in two activations at bauma 2025. First, at the Moog Construction booth, the company will have its OG Caterpillar CAT 308-based machine and a new, CASE CX210-ZQ. ZQUIP will also have a presence at the Case Construction booth, where visitors can see a new CASE WX155-ZQ machine, marking the start of an official collaboration between MOOG and Case parent company CNH.

Electrek’s Take

We were lucky enough to have Chris and Rob from Moog Construction, whose innovative new ZQUIP modular Energy Modules are revolutionizing the future of job sites and fleet asset management, as guests on The Heavy Equipment Podcast last year. Here’s that episode again (also available on Apple Podcasts), so check it out as we get started on Season 3.

SOURCE | IMAGES: ZQUIP; via T&D World, Access Newswire.