Huddig has delivered its first hybrid electric backhoe loader, the Huddig Tigon, to a customer in Sweden. The Tigon technology developed by Huddig enables its backhoe loaders to run solely on electricity, entirely on diesel, or a combination of electricity and diesel. Huddig claims the electric hybrid model runs quieter, has 30% more power, and can be run entirely on electricity or fossil-free on HVO100. The Huddig Tigon is equipped with machine control systems from Leica Geosystems.
The Eco mode of the Huddig Tigon powers the machine with a mix of diesel and electricity. The EV mode allows the machine to work on 100% battery power without any loss in functionality or power. The machine can work silently in up to 2 hours or travel up to 20 km on battery power alone, which is useful for night shifts in residential areas. The plug-in-option enables stationary work and charging of the machine from the main electrical network. A quick charge option provides full power in 1 hour. The battery recharges during work using the diesel engine
The electric motor generators (EMGs) contributes with both extra power when needed and recharging of the battery while working. According to Huddig, the efficiency of the EMGs are considerably higher than in a conventional mechanical power train and because they are directly connected to the wheels, the loss in efficiency is minimal. Each wheel is powered by a separate EMG which can adjust and calibrate the speed of the wheel over 100 times per second, which enables the machine to work with optimal traction on all different kinds of ground conditions.