West Midlands Mayor Andy Street praises JCB for their spark of Imagination
The Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street has hailed JCB as an innovative ‘world leader’ in engineering as it goes into full production with its first electric digger.
As the industry’s first fully electric mini excavator, the JCB 19C-1E, has gone into full production at Staffordshire-based JCB, the Mayor took the controls of the zero emissions digger at Birmingham’s biggest construction site, Perry Barr Residential Scheme.
He said: “The Midlands has a proud engineering pedigree and, with the launch of the construction industry’s first fully electric mini excavator, JCB is quite literally demonstrating the spark of imagination that makes it a world leader. This is engineering excellence which truly breaks new ground. Machines like the JCB electric mini excavator have a major part to play in the future of construction, particularly in cities like Birmingham. As we gear up for construction projects such as the 2022 Commonwealth Games and new housing developments like the £496 million Perry Barr scheme, it is vital that we minimise environmental impacts wherever possible.”
Developed at JCB’s World Headquarters in Staffordshire and built at JCB Compact Products in Cheadle, Staffordshire, the 19C-1E has impressive eco credentials. Using leading automotive battery technology, it delivers all of the performance of a conventional diesel-powered 1.9-tonne mini excavator while being a staggering five times quieter than its diesel counterpart. In addition, with zero emissions it is perfect for working inside buildings, factories, tunnels or basements as well as outdoors in emissions and noise-sensitive inner-city areas.
Fully charged, the 19C-1E can put in a typical full day’s shift for a mini excavator.
Demand for the JCB 19C-1E mini excavator is already high with orders rolling in from customers across Europe and North America, with the first 50 machines already delivered to customers.
