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GMB has been using an electric Hyundai HX 260 AL excavator for some time now. The electrification, carried out by Urban Mobility Systems in Oss, fits in with GMB’s sustainability strategy on the way to circular 2030. Family business GMB stands for expertise and sustainable solutions in the field of flood risk management, water quality, bioenergy and industrial construction & infrastructure.

The Huyndai HX260AL Electric is equipped by Urban Mobility Systems with an electric powertrain and a replaceable battery pack. With 390 kWh of power, this machine is currently successfully working on the Gorinchem- Waardenburg dyke improvement.

For GMB , this is the first electric excavator in the fleet. According to Edwin van der Poel, director of GMB, this is a very good example if you look at 2030 circularly. “We simply need zero-emission equipment and in a few years’ time we will probably have the entire fleet zero-emission. With these kinds of initiatives, we, together with partners, accelerate this development.”

Getting used for the driver

According to Gerard van der Veer, head of equipment management at GMB, this excavator is not inferior to the diesel-powered version. “Especially for drivers it takes some getting used to. Normally you give gas, the diesel engine revs up and you have more power. With the electric version you operate it in the same way, only now the electric motor and the hydraulic pump will run faster. Then it gives a completely different feeling and sound.”

The Hyundai HX260 Electric in action on the Gorinchem- Waardenburg dyke improvement.

Watch the gmb video ‘On the way to a circular 2030.’

Lars Kool explains why cooperation in electrification is so important .

The electrification of construction machines is also a switch for the operators themselves, but they do see the positive sides. “It’s like an electric car,” says driver Gerrit-Jan van de Pol. The fact that you can get this machine going with an electric motor is quite a nice development.”

Dike reinforcement GoWa

The Rivierenland Water Board has a tough task ahead of it. In total, about 450 kilometers of dike must be reinforced. The 23-kilometre stretch between Gorinchem and Waardenburg is a challenging start, because: how do you find the best solution in an area with so many residents along the dike? For the first time in the Netherlands, a dike reinforcement from A to Z is carried out within an alliance contract.

After a market consultation, the water board opted for the cooperation alliance with contractor combination GMB, Heijmans and De Vries & Van de Wiel and Royal Hashkoning DHV as an engineering firm. Under the name Graaf Reinaldalliantie, the stretch of 23 kilometres of dike will be reinforced with input from the residents involved. The strength of an alliance is that in the exploration phase, plan elaboration and realization, there is cooperation as one team.

Hydrogen not an option

According to Jan Nolles, general manager of Hyundai importer Van der Spek Vianen , GMB wanted to accelerate the transition to sustainability. “If you then wait for hydrogen, you will not accelerate. This development is much too slow. Then we proposed to do it electrically. That is how we ended up at UMS and we think this is the better way.”

doers

According to Lars Kool, director of UMS, this project was so successful because it involved a collaboration between people from the field, namely GMB and Van der Spek, and the engineers from UMS, with the knowledge of electrification of construction machines. “The people at GMB and Van der Spek are real doers. Thanks to this close collaboration, you get something that works in practice.”