Bobcat revealed its zero-emission electric telehandler concept at Intermat 2024 as part of the company's ongoing R&D into alternative drivetrains for decarbonization of construction equipment. Powered by liquid-cooled batteries, Bobcat says its TL25.60e telehandler with a 2.5-tonne ROC delivers performance equivalent to its diesel counterpart. Three separated electric motors are designed to maximize efficiency, a hydrostatic transmission boosts performance, and maximum travel speed is 25 kph. This concept delivers low noise levels, minimal operating costs, and compact versatility which makes it suited to work on confined job sites and in urban centres.
Bobcat has been demonstrating the machine with customers to gain feedback and is already working on the next generation of its design, but don't expect to see an electric telehandler from Bobcat available to buy just yet. There are still many challenges ahead of bringing these machines to market, including high acquisition cost for electric machines and ensuring sufficient demand to make full-scale production feasible for the company. Insufficient financial incentives for the adoption of zero-emission machines are also a barrier to adoption in Europe and North America.
Serge Boyer, product manager for telehandlers, Bobcat EMEA, was excited to share the new concept on the show floor.
"We are building for the future," Boyer says. "We know this is going to be the next generation and the next trend but it will take time to ramp up."
For now, Bobcat will learn from this machine and get input from customers and dealers to better understand the market. "The key word for me is agility," says Boyer. "We want to be an agile company. We want to be able to build progressively by iterations until we get to the best we can."
