HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY INAUGURATES ZERO EMISSION EV-LAB RESEARCH FACILITY

The opening ceremony was attended by Shinsuke Minami, President and Representative Director, COO of Isuzu Motors Limited, along with Hiroyuki Tsubai, Member of the Board and Executive Vice President of ITOCHU Corporation, Kouji Kurayama, System Integrator for production and sales of lithium-ion battery packs business at the Incubation Lab in the Corporate Strategy Division of Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., as well as partners and others involved in the work associated with the products provided at EV-LAB.

Speaking at the ceremony, President and Executive Officer Masafumi Senzaki said, "We have launched EV-LAB to demonstrate business models for the electrical machinery and solution business. The facility is designed around the concept of recreating a construction site located in Oslo, Norway, which is leading the world in the transition to electrification. By utilizing the electrically powered construction machinery and equipment provided at EV-LAB, we will develop new solutions for visualization, and power management with a particular focus on customer work sites as the starting point through the realization of a digital twin of the charge-to-use cycle."




ZERO EMISSION EV-LAB consists of a demo area to simulate sites where electrically powered construction machinery and equipment are in operation, as well as a communication area for exchanging opinions and brainstorming new ideas. The demo area will feature battery-powered excavators (5-tonne, 8-tonne, and 13-tonne models) manufactured by the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group, as well as mobile energy storage systems, electrically powered crawler carriers, compact EV trucks, and other related construction equipment. The communication area, which will feature panel exhibits and simulation videos of zero-emission work sites, will serve as a venue for collaborating with customers and partners from around the world to develop new solutions. Furthermore, ITOCHU, Isuzu, Kyushu Electric Power, and other EV-LAB partners will work together to promote the establishment of business models.

Going forward, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will continue to accelerate its efforts to achieve zero emissions in all operations at construction sites in collaboration with customers and business partners.