Diesel and electric in one for ES

United Kingdom-based company ES Manufacturing has unveiled its diesel and electric dual option remote controlled robotic demolition digger at a special launch day close to its premises in the south of England.

The product, which comes in four sizes ranging from 1.5 to 8.5 t, sees another stage in the development of the company, which was established more than 30 years ago to supply specialist equipment to the utilities market and now supplies the Molotok range of hydraulic hammers.

ES describes the range as “the world’s first and only machines to be able to operate in diesel or electric mode in the same machine”.

Launched under the ES Robotics banner and designated the Akula DR Range – the name means “shark” in Russian and the robots are decorated with a distinctive shark logo – the machines feature the option to switch easily between diesel and electric operation, with the diesel power unit using the latest Kubota water-cooled engine.

The robots also include a three-piece boom and significant digging capabilities.

They can be used with attachments from the ES range and offer the option of working with a 20 kVA generator due to the ES Robotics Robo Power DC motor.

“The product has been in development for two years,” said director Chris James.

“We wanted to get it exactly right because we know we are up against an established name in the market.

“We believe that what we have with the Akula is a piece of world class British engineering.”