The eMixer was officially presented to the industry at international trade fair bauma 2022, which was held at Neue Messe München in Germany.

The eMixer, being distributed by concrete pumps and equipment manufacturer Putzmeister, is the latest member of the 100% electric eTruck range from its parent company, equipment manufacturer SANY.

Putzmeister has already been on the path to a carbon-neutral construction site for years, with its iONTRON family, which consists of the eMixer and eTruck range.

The three brands, namely Putzmeister, SANY and Holcim have one goal in common: the drastic reduction of emissions on the construction site through a carbon-neutral value chain.

The company says that everyone involved is aware that the construction industry is reported to be responsible for almost 40% of global emissions.

An all-electric mixer truck makes it possible to work 100% electrically and is therefore carbon emission-free from the concrete plant to the construction site.

Trust and Testing

Putzmeister and Holcim partnered to test whether the battery-electric mixer delivers what it promises in terms of efficiencies in everyday practice.

With a battery capacity of 350 kW/h, a working time period of about eight hours should be achieved in urban areas.

The eMixer has already covered 4 462 km in Paris, with an average driving distance from the batching plant to the construction site of 5.4 km, which was covered in about 20 minutes on average with 5.6 m3 of concrete on board.

It was ascertained that enough tours could be planned to use the eMixer efficiently and depending on the number of trips and average distance driven, one battery
charge can last the entire working day.

Traffic jams are also no cause for worry, as the truck does not consume power while idling and only minimal consumption is required for rotating the drum.

After the working day is done, the eMixer can be “refuelled” at a 50 kW charging station, for example.

All the Ra(n)ge

At face value the eMixer looks like a normal truck mixer, however, it contains a SANY electric chassis and is powered 100% electrically.

The noise level is also significantly lower, owing to the electric drive. Its preferred area of application is particularly in inner city areas, where there are strict noise protection regulations.

Putzmeister also introduced the iONTRON hybrid truck-mounted concrete pump range in October.

The range is available in 20 m to 40 m class sizes, and the models comprise the 20 m class BSF 24-4 and BSF 28-4, the 30 m class BSF 36-4, as well as the 40 m class BSF 42-5 and BSF 47-5.

“The company’s patent-pending solution for integrating a plug-in hybrid in the hydraulic pump train is not just [environment-friendly, but also saves fuel, space and weight,” Putzmeister product management head Markus Frasch said at the launch.

He added there was virtually no limit to possible uses, as the 92 kW electric motor easily covered typical applications in electric mode.

The iONTRON makes it easy to work in an environment-friendly manner, by simply unwinding the cable, plugging it in and using the power supply on the construction site.

Switching from diesel drive to electric mode is also simple and can be done during operation.

The operator can simply press a button to use the full power of the electric motor – from the support configuration right through to pumping concrete.

“Depending on the local electricity mix, this makes it possible to reduce emissions by up to 100%,” explained Frasch.

Environment protection had become an important factor when tendering for construction contracts, he added, noting that companies also needed to balance this environment focus with generating a return on investments.

He commented that Putzmeister’s iONTRON range had much to offer in this regard, including fuel savings and a delivery rate of up to 100 m3/h.

The company does recommend that clients configure their iONTRON hybrid machine with a Putzmeister Intelligent Low Stroke core pump.

“The improved intake behaviour achieved by removing bottlenecks in the concrete flow and the 25% lower fuel consumption, which is thanks to the innovative control system, are further advantages,” concluded Frasch.