Tadano Heads Toward Zero Emissions
Mar. 20, 2023 - Tadano’s commitment to protecting our environment and contributing to the fight against climate change is shown in its new slogan: Our True Mission: Zero Emissions.
The company is committed to reducing CO2 emissions from its business activities by 25% and from the use of its products by 35% by 2030.
It’s goal is to be completely climate neutral by 2050.
The company has grouped its sustainability solutions under Tadano Green Solutions (TGS). Those solutions include fully electric rough-terrain cranes.
Tadano unveiled a fully-functional prototype of one of them, the GR-1000XLL EVOLT at ConExpo.
The crane can travel to work sites and take care of all lifting operations there exclusively with energy supplied by its batteries, making fully zero-emission operation possible.
A single battery charge is enough for up to nine hours of crane operation, or five hours of crane operation with a travel distance of up to 12.5 miles. Recharging takes just two hours with fast charging on a US-COMBO CCS1 connection and only about seven hours with normal charging on a three-phase 240 VAC, 100A commercial power supply connection.
When the crane is plugged into a power source, its operating time is unlimited. 
The powerful electric motor delivers up to 194 kW, ensuring that the GR-1000XLL EVOLT has the equivalent lifting capacity and operating speed as its diesel-driven sibling, the GR-1000XLL-4.
Tadano calculates that the GR-1000XLL EVOLT will save about 2,200 gallons of diesel and close to 22 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year in average use, compared to a diesel-powered crane.
The official launch is scheduled for 2024 in the USA and Canada at first.
APU Auxiliary Power Unit Cuts Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions 25%
At ConExpo, Tadano also introduced its diesel-driven APU auxiliary power unit on a GR-800XL-4 rough-terrain crane.
The unit is already currently approved for use as an optional accessory for new orders of Tadano RT models GR-1000XLL and GT-1000XL-4 in the U.S. and Canada.
The unit’s 9-hp two-cylinder engine uses just 0.2 gallons of diesel fuel per hour while putting out 972W. That’s enough to supply electric power for many important crane functions like floodlights, aviation beacon, window wipers, the HVAC system, the USB outlet, and important display functions in the cab. Tadano calculates that the APU can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by about 25%, compared to running the main engine at idle.
In development:
Electrified CC 88.1600-1 Lattice-Boom Crawler Crane
The flagship of Tadano’s CC cranes will also be available with electric drive in the future.
Tadano engineers are working on giving the CC 88.1600-1, the company’s biggest crane, an electrified sibling.
An electrical cable connection will ensure that the giant will be able to run with absolutely zero CO2 emissions, with the lattice boom crawler crane’s electric motor planned to have a power of 2 x 390 kW so that it can deliver the same lifting capacity as its diesel-driven counterpart.
In addition, there will be flexible options for supplying power, with 6,000V and 6,600V 50Hz connections and 6,600V 60Hz connections.
Electro-hydraulic e-Pack Delivers Zero-Emission Crane Operation
Tadano introduced its e-Pack in Europe in 2019.
This electro-hydraulic system features an integrated 32-kW electric motor that works with zero emissions and nearly zero noise – without any loss in lifting capacity.
The crane simply sets down the e-Pack where it will be used, and the e-Pack is then connected to an external 400V/63A or 400V/32A power supply.
The e-Pack is currently available for all new Tadano AC cranes with lifting capacities of up to 88 USt, as well as a for retrofit to existing cranes.
Hybrid Demo: All-Terrain Crane with Electrified Superstructure
The new model is based on the AC 4.070-1, but with a fully electrified superstructure.
First shown at Bauma 2022, the crane was fully functional and completely self-sufficient under all operating conditions thanks to a flexible power supply.
The electric superstructure was able to run on any of these options: integrated battery, external power connection, or a generator on the diesel engine that delivered power for the electric motor.
The crane’s working speed and lifting capacity matched those of a diesel-driven crane. But operation was quieter.
“This all shows that we’re on the right path with Our True Mission: Zero Emissions and our Tadano Green Solutions. I’m confident that we’ll be able to achieve our sustainability goals in our role as a highly innovative company that is aware of its responsibility towards our world, and that we’ll take on a trailblazer role in our industry with our technologically leading solutions,” says Tadano CEO Toshiaki Ujiie.
