De Twee Heren’s electric machines more than live up to their promises
De Twee Heren purchased their first electric machines about five years ago for environmental reasons. The electric fleet continues to grow: they recently purchased an electric mini loader and a matching mini excavator from De Schans. ‘De Schans is a great partner that supports us with advice and action.’
‘Working with electric equipment fits our vision,’ says Roel Neuvel, foreman at De Twee Heren. ‘Our starting point is to strengthen the original role of the landscape, thus connecting, inviting play and meeting. We like to create unique designs where we let nature speak and where it is pleasant to be. If you create natural outdoor spaces like we do, it is logical to emit as few emissions as possible. More than half of our fleet is electric, and we also switch to electric on the projects themselves whenever possible.’
De Twee Heren sought advice from the experts at De Schans. That company has been supplying all kinds of mini loaders with attachments to landscapers and other green companies for about thirty years. In 2022, the company introduced the RELLY, a mini loader developed entirely in-house. Both an electric and a diesel version of the machine are available, both in three weight classes and power ratings.
Continuing work during lessons
Continuing work during lessons
De Twee Heren chose the electric mini loader RELLY 1.3 E. ‘We use it to move soil and to supply or remove materials. These can be pallets with tiles or tree trunks, or other items we need when constructing a site.’
‘We can hear each other while we are working’
‘We used to do that with diesel loaders, but from an environmental perspective, we want to switch to electric. Since we’ve had the RELLY, we’ve discovered more advantages. It is extremely pleasant that an electric machine is very quiet. We often work at daycare centers and schoolyards, and then the noise of a diesel engine can be very disruptive. Now we can simply continue working during lessons. Furthermore, it is very pleasant that we can hear each other while we are working. Diesel also causes a lot of odor nuisance. We’ve gotten rid of all that now.’
Electric mini excavator
In addition to the electric mini loader, De Twee Heren also purchased an electric mini excavator from De Schans, the Limach E27.1. Neuvel: ‘The attachments we have for our diesel mini excavator fit the electric Limach one-to-one, so that’s convenient. We recently worked in Amsterdam with that electric Limach mini excavator. There, we renovated Speelpark Blijdag (formerly playground Amsteldorp). Quite a job, as the site is nearly 9,000 square meters. We installed a cable car, placed play towers, and so on. All in all, a lot of work was done, and then it’s nice to be able to work with good equipment, such as the Limach.’
Positive experiences
The switch from diesel to electric is quite exciting for many colleagues, Neuvel notes. ‘By working with it more, colleagues are now also becoming convinced to work with electric machines. In terms of power and functionality, electric is just as good as diesel.’ The RELLY 1.3 E is a powerful machine with a lifting capacity of 1,500 kg, a 25 kW electric motor, and a battery capacity of 40 kWh.
For emergencies, we use a power bank’
Charging the battery fully takes about eight hours, and then it can be worked with for five to eight hours, depending on the intensity of the job. ‘Because we are never on the machines all day, the battery lasts a long time,’ says Neuvel. ‘When we charge at a location, it can sometimes happen that too much power is requested and the power fails inside. That is, of course, not the intention. That’s why we almost always charge at night and use a power bank for emergencies that we had developed ourselves. That works fine.’
Container connected to power
In addition to various compact fuel-powered equipment, De Twee Heren’s machinery fleet also includes a one-and-a-half-ton electric mini excavator and a two-and-a-half-ton loader from different brands. ‘We work a lot with specialized attachments that are not always made for the RELLY,’ says Neuvel. ‘The people at De Schans made an adapter plate specifically for us, so we can also use them on the RELLY.’
And then there are the work containers with smaller tools for the outdoor space, such as vibrating plates, rammers, and stone saws. One contains only tools that run on gasoline or diesel; the other contains exclusively electric tools to be able to work completely quietly and cleanly, especially at schools and daycare centers. The container for electric tools is immediately connected to the power or the power bank on site.
Does this mean the diesel machines are being scrapped? ‘No,’ says Neuvel. ‘We use them in remote locations where no power is available and where noise nuisance is less of an issue. But when they are worn out, we will replace them with electric machines, for sure!’
