Liebherr Sets a New Standard For Heavy Lifting
When it comes to battery power it’s hard to not think about how the private vehicle sector has been disrupted by the introduction of lithium-ion batteries. However, heavy diesel powered machinery is also on the verge of taking the same path. Battery powered cranes may no longer be a thing of the future as leading company Liebherr looked to expand their initial concept across their entire range. With increasing scrutiny of construction companies and their CO2 emissions, the LR 1250.1 may be the next viable step for organisations to separate themselves from competitors.
The ESTA Awards are the highest distinction for the crane and heavy-lift industry. This year, Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH won the award in the category “Innovation Manufacturer”. The LR 1250.1 unplugged – the world’s first battery-powered crawler crane was submitted. Due to the current situation the awards took place as an online event last week.
Nenzing (Austria), April 26, 2021 – “The year 2020 particularly proved that one must be bold and experimental in order to break new ground. With our unplugged crane we offer our customers an alternative drive design. As we have already seen with the LB 16 unplugged, the first battery-powered drilling rig, the strategy is a complete success. Strict requirements regarding environmental sustainability in tenders for construction projects increase the demand for advanced technologies. We were in no doubt that we would extend the concept to further product ranges and successfully establish ourselves there too. And we will continue to develop further unplugged models in the future,” said Gerhard Frainer, Sales Director of Liebherr Werk Nenzing GmbH during the awards ceremony.
The LR 1250.1 was only launched in December and is already successfully deployed on the first jobsite in Oslo. Further models in the unplugged series will go into operation in Great Britain during the coming weeks.
Zero Emission
The LR 1250.1 unplugged is driven by an electric motor with a power rating of 225 kW.
There are no compromises regarding performance or availability of the unplugged crane when compared with the conventional version, and it has a maximum lifting capacity of 250 tonnes.
The blue accent in the colour composition, which lends the distinctive look to the unplugged series, symbolises the electric solution representing an advanced technology. The unplugged cranes achieve the best possible combination of operator benefit, efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Thanks to “Zero Emission the model is emission free and has a very low noise level. That is a huge advantage in areas sensitive to noise, and also for the people working on the jobsite.
The crane can be recharged on a conventional jobsite electric supply (32 A, 63 A) in 4.5 hours and optionally with 125 A in 2.25 hours. The capacity of the battery is designed for 4 hours lifting operation. In accordance with its name, the crane can be operated with or without a cable, thus “unplugged”, thanks to the battery-electric drive design.
Boasting improved efficiency, less fuel costs, and a quiet operation, the Liebherr LR 1250.1 may replace some of the outgoing cranes in the year of 2021. The innovation could potentially be met with competitors also adopting the electrical approach to manufacturing heavy machinery. The result could be a mass adoption of the technology across the globe by 2035 in an effort to reduce significant fuels costs accumulated by construction companies each day.
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