CP Hire has bought the first JCB electric mini excavator in Northern Ireland. The Coleraine-based company has taken delivery of a JCB 19C-1E model – part of the JCB E-Tech range of fully electric, zero emissions equipment which is set to transform CP Hire’s ability to offer plant for operation in factories and food processing facilities.
Supplied by dealer Dennison JCB, the machine is currently being showcased to CP Hire’s rental customers across the country to fully demonstrate the significant benefits which the electric mini excavator can bring.
CP Hire Managing Director, Andrew Hutchinson said: “We chose the JCB 19C-1E electric mini excavator as we feel JCB is well ahead of the competition in the development electric equipment and in its ability to deliver it to the mass rental market. I have full confidence that the machine and the concept will be a huge success.
“We deal with many customers working in factories and food processing facilities. We can see a demand for this machine to carry out maintenance duties whilst producing no fumes and harmful emissions – enabling powerful indoor operation without the need for expensive extraction equipment.
Currently we supply compressors and jack hammers to carry out floor breaking and similar roles but the JCB solution will give us more power and without trailing cables on busy sites.”
The JCB 19C-1E is powered by four lithium-ion batteries, providing 20kWh of energy storage. This is enough for a full working shift for the majority of mini excavator customers on a single charge. The 19C-1E itself is a powerful, compact model with zero exhaust emissions at point of use and one that is considerably quieter than a standard machine.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, CP Hire Ltd is a family run company offering tool and plant hire services from seven depots across Northern Ireland and five on the UK mainland. It offers a vast range of heavy plant, compact machines, access equipment and portable tools including a sizeable fleet of JCB Loadall telescopic handlers.
