We went to South Limburg for an experience report about the new electric excavator of our customer Cerfontaine BV from Berg en Terblijt. And this time we even visit two projects. One in Maastricht and one in nearby Meerssen. There we meet Tim Menick, a spontaneous, enthusiastic excavator operator with 20 years of experience. Tim runs on the new mobile DX165W Electric from Cerfontaine. The project in Maastricht is located in a zero-emission zone and is a redevelopment project. The project in Meerssen, on a former shooting range, is a remediation project in a Natura 2000 area. Tim 'shoots' into the canteen when we arrive for this interview, so the coffee was already ready and we 'fire' the questions at him straight away.
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So we get straight to the point and ask Tim: How do you like the electric excavator? Tim starts to tell and says: "I like it very much. The operation is comparable to what I am used to, also from other brands. I am used to running on diesels but this electric excavator surprised me positively.
Tim continues: “This machine is powerful, smooth and with the Powerbox 400 on it, it can handle it well. You can do more than a working day with it. The biggest difference is that it is electric. That took some getting used to for me, but once it is running, it runs very smoothly and is very strong."
We zoom in on the word 'once' and ask Tim what he means by this. "In the beginning there was a plug that worked sometimes and sometimes not. Afterwards it turned out that the plug did not make a good connection between the Powerbox 400 and the external battery container. The Powerbox 400 was not 'recognized'. As I heard, this was easily solved with a software update, now it works fine".
The electric powerhouse is running in Meerssen on a former defense site in a vulnerable NATURA 2000 area. This project is a soil remediation project where the bullet traps of three shooting ranges and a machine gun range are being remediated. On this project everything is done emission-free and in addition to this electric mobile excavator we found an electric tractor and an electric crawler excavator, coincidentally also a Staad crawler excavator, the DX355LC Electric .
All machines charge here completely green via battery containers. This project is located in the middle of the woods, there are no paved roads and is situated on a large hill. Tim indicates that working with this machine in this hilly landscape is no problem at all, but makes it fun and challenging. “You notice how nice it is that this machine is so powerful in these kinds of conditions. It is not affected at all by the swampy conditions on the hill, the machine drives and runs really well,” says Tim.
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During an earlier visit, Tim was working with the excavator in the city of Maastricht, one of the thirteen cities that have had a zero-emission zone since 1 January 2025. Here, Tim is active on a redevelopment project in the city centre and the old paving has to be completely removed to replace it. “This machine also comes into its own here. It runs smoothly and with the tiltrotator I can easily reach everywhere and therefore carry out the work well and precisely”, says Tim. He continues: “I drive back and forth from the office with the machine to this project. Driving costs more power and therefore energy, just like with a diesel, but with the full Powerbox 400 this is easy to do, because at the end of the working day, including the drive to the office, the Powerbox 400 is still more than a quarter full”.
We are curious to know more and ask Tim what else he thinks of the machine.
Tim says: “This machine makes less noise than a diesel, which is nice, although you can still hear some of the hydraulics in the cabin. It doesn't have to be completely silent, because that is not safe for colleagues who work around the machine, for example with paving work, where I regularly place paving stones or tires next to the pavers with the machine, such as on the project in the center of Maastricht”.
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We ask further and ask about the user-friendliness, among other things. “The operation of this machine feels familiar, comparable to what I am used to from other brands and is user-friendly. The fact that the operation remains largely the same makes the transition to electric easier. Still, there are small things you have to take into account, such as charging and starting, but that is part of it and I have to say that I quickly got used to it. At the end of the working day here in Meerssen, the machine has 35% to 40% battery capacity left, even if I have worked hard. I can rely on this and plan the charging well,” says Tim.
Tim continues: “What I personally like is that the machine runs smoothly and is powerful enough for the work I do, mostly road construction and dredging. These are projects where I feel at home and this machine can handle it perfectly. For me it is all about reliability and this machine certainly offers that”.
Cerfontaine largely arranges the maintenance for this machine itself. We ask Tim whether he also experiences some of this and how it goes. Tim says: “I am happy that I can work on such a fine and well-maintained machine. This machine is, as I experience, well maintained by the Cerfontaine team, it is still fairly new, but always receives its maintenance on time. The service visits from Staad are arranged by Cerfontaine and I have no further problems or experience with that”.
Tim continues: “It is nice that adjustments are possible, such as adjusting certain settings. This way you can get to know this machine better and better. As far as I hear, there is a pleasant collaboration with Staad. I am certainly very pleased with this machine myself.”
About Cerfontaine BV
Cerfontaine BV is a close-knit family business with diverse activities. Originally, it was a mixed agricultural company that started in 1965 with agricultural contracting. In the eighties, earthmoving was added. In order to be able to perform this work optimally, they have quickly expanded road transport since the nineties. They currently employ over 100 people. The ambitions of this company are great and this results in more sustainable and cleaner equipment, including electric equipment from now on.
And do you have any questions for us? Let us know. Our representatives will be happy to inform you about this and our other earthmoving machines. You can also contact us for questions about charging infrastructure or energy on location.
More information about the DX165W Electric mobile excavator can be found on the product page online. Here you will find specifications, images and the product brochure can be downloaded. If you have any questions or are interested in this or any of the other electric earthmoving machines that we sell at Staad, you can contact one of the representatives, who are also visible on this product page.
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