John Deere Joint Tests Its First Electric-Powered Backhoe with National Grid

John Deere and National Grid, an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout the Northeast, will joint test an electric backhoe concept.
Jan. 11, 2021
2 min read

John Deere and National Grid, an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout the Northeast, will joint test an electric backhoe concept. The John Deere developed, battery-powered, electric vehicle design – referred to as E-Power – will target the ease of operation and performance level of the diesel-powered, 100 HP 310L Backhoe. The design is intended to provide substantially lower daily operating costs, lower jobsite noise, enhanced machine reliability, and zero emissions. 

         “We are excited to work with National Grid, a leader in promoting clean energy solutions, to test the John Deere electric backhoe design in real-world conditions,” said Jason Daly, global director, production systems, technology and marketing, John Deere. “John Deere is committed to developing innovative, robustly tested, and reliable equipment for our customers, unlocking measurable value through the incorporation of smart technology solutions in our machines. This project is another steppingstone in our backhoe innovation journey, intended to lead to subsequent electrification testing and design refinement.”

The testing period will enable National Grid to expand its use of electric equipment on jobsites, reaffirming its commitment to leading the industry in the use of clean and resilient energy solutions. The John Deere-developed backhoe will be used on National Grid jobsites, proving out the concept to help further enhance and improve the electric vehicle design.

“National Grid is one of only two energy companies in the US to add electric backhoes to their fleets,” said Badar Khan, president, National Grid, U.S. “We are excited to work with John Deere to take an important step in electrifying our company vehicles, which could be revolutionary for our industry. Decarbonizing transportation remains a challenge in the journey to net zero and we’re hopeful that bringing on more electrified heavy-duty vehicles and equipment will help us make significant progress.”

         John Deere is in early Phase I development of its electric backhoe. To learn more about the John Deere backhoe lineup, visit www.johndeere.com

About the Author

Michael Roth

Editor

Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.

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