JCB has marked a significant milestone, as the 1000th 19C-1E electric mini excavator rolls off the production line.
JCB went into full production with the world’s first volume-produced, all-electric mini excavator in 2019. Today employees at JCB Compact Products in Cheadle, Staffordshire, gathered on the shop floor to cheer the milestone 1,000th 19C-E model off the production line.
JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said: “We are delighted with the success of JCB’s electric mini excavator, which is proving very popular around the world, particularly in North America, France and the UK where there is a growing demand for zero emissions equipment operating in urban environments.”
The 19C-1E is five times quieter than its diesel counterpart and can be fully charged in under two hours, completing a typical full shift on a single charge. The model has been popular with companies working inside buildings and in emissions and noise-sensitive inner city areas.
In 2019, the 19C-1E scooped one of the automotive industry’s most prestigious honours, when the Royal Automobile Club presented JCB with the Dewar Trophy for ‘Outstanding Technical Achievement in the British Automotive Industry’ for the development of the machine. The following year, the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK announced that the 19C-1E had won the MacRobert Award, a prize for innovation that has been presented since 1969 to honour a wide variety of engineering feats, including the CT scanner and Rolls-Royce’s Pegasus engine used in the Harrier jump jet.
