Since January 2023 , Janssen Group Maastricht has owned a DX165W Electric mobile excavator . For the experiences with this machine, we have met with Jan Haveman, he has been a machinist from the very beginning. In addition to his experience with the machine, we will zoom in on the article we wrote last year: Moving mountains with Janssen Group .
Of course we also went out to see the electric excavator in action. The machine is currently running on a project in Deurne, Brabant. The appointment was supposed to be earlier, but the project was halted due to frost. Although this was not necessary for this machine, because it continues to run perfectly well at lower temperatures, Jan indicated when he called us that day to make a new appointment. Our first question was answered immediately.
Operator Jan is enthusiastic about the DX165W Electric and is happy that it is 'his' permanent machine. This way he can start up every day in a machine that is completely set to his own wishes. Jan himself is not the smallest and for a good working posture it is important that the seat is in the right setting. Jan indicates that it is wonderful to be allowed to work in and with this machine.
This DX165W Electric is a standard version on which all standard options have been built by Staad. Jan did ask for a step at the axle at the time. “When the extra options are practical, Janssen is not difficult about it. The machine has everything I need to be able to run well. This also applies to the lighting, everything is LED, which provides a lot of light and good visibility,” says Jan.
Before Jan started working with the zero-emission machine, he was running on a diesel. The switch to electric, getting used to it, went smoothly and quickly. “Just like with a diesel, this machine does what it has to do,” says Jan. “And it does it well and quite quietly,” he adds. “I was mostly used to it after a day of running, only charging the machine took some time to see how that went, but that's also the case with an electric car when you get in for the first time. At a certain point you know exactly what the machine can do and how long it can do it.
With the work that Jan mostly does, such as digging out a tire line, digging small trenches, turning stones & tires and quite a lot of driving, Jan can easily complete the working day. There are two Powerbox 140 batteries on the machine, together good for 280 kWh.
When the machine has to drive a lot or has to scoop more, sometimes the 2 Powerboxes are just not enough. Jan can then exchange them, he says, because he has 3 Powerbox 140 batteries at his disposal. Jan is aware that there are larger Powerboxes and suspects that their capacity will only increase in the coming years.
“I don’t need a bigger Powerbox 400”, says Jan. “I can basically just keep running, right? Because I can change continuously and therefore non-stop. With the work I do here now, I only have to change once or sometimes twice a week and I think that’s really not too bad”, says Jan. The changing does have to be arranged, you can’t do that alone. Jan is very satisfied with the rest and especially with the operation of the machine.
On the project in Deurne, Jan is working on widening the existing road and removing a lot of driveways. Jan says he is enjoying working with a machine that works very well. “I know exactly what it can do and that is also what I should be able to do with it. It turns well, there is a lot of power and it responds quickly. The controls are good and the machine also handles well with the Engcon attached, although I do notice that it then consumes more. Logical with an extra 500 kilos attached. The extra counterweight due to the Powerboxes is also nice, it makes the machine more stable and I can pick up a bit more over the side, a real advantage”, says Jan.
In the winter Jan has the idea that the batteries give a little less. He thinks that this is because it was so incredibly wet last year rather than because of the cold. When it is so wet everything is also heavier and you use more. Jan does not experience any inconvenience from it, the machine continues to run very well. Jan finds the cabin heating a pleasant additional advantage, the 'hut' warms up very quickly he says.
At the bottom of this article you will find a nice photo album of 'Jan's machine'.
After the conversation with machinist Jan, we also had contact with Christian and Pascal Janssen, directors of the Janssen Group. We put a few questions to them that can now be asked, more than a year after the article Moving mountains with Janssen Group.
Since Janssen Maastricht is practically adjacent to the neighbouring countries Germany and Belgium, we ask whether there has been some kind of movement or interest from these countries with regard to the electrical machine?
Christian indicates that he notices that there is interest in Germany, in the sense that they look at the Netherlands and often want to know more about it. In practice, it does not play a role in Germany. He expects that this is because they have more extensive areas there and are therefore less close to the people, but also 'do not' have a nitrogen problem. In his view, it is mainly the nitrogen problem in the Netherlands that is accelerating electrification. He does not want to say that it is only due to nitrogen, but clients often have to tender emission-free because otherwise the projects cannot be carried out.
"Certainly, Germany has always been quite conservative in our world. In the border region, that changes a bit more, because the Dutch parties are simply leading the way. The Germans are taking that over. If you look at electrification, we can take better steps than the Germans themselves in the beginning. But once the Germans have it in order, they will go full throttle themselves. Furthermore, it will depend on the federal states; in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, there is a more 'green' government. They will focus more on this, while in other federal states it will go more slowly," says Christian.
Pascal says: “It is going surprisingly well and I hear few problems via Jan. There are sometimes minor malfunctions, fortunately they have not led to much downtime so far. Jan can reach the service department at Staad via WhatsApp and then it is usually resolved quite quickly. We have also gained some more experience with the electric machine and that makes it a lot easier. We are still satisfied with the service and provision of services at Staad, but certainly also with the machine”.
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