I have been to several construction sites recently and found an interesting phenomenon: many excavators still look like the old guy, but the roar of the engine has disappeared. When I get closer, I see that the exhaust pipe is gone. I only found out after asking that this is a "oil to electricity" conversion.
The three words' oil to electricity 'have been heard more and more in the field of construction machinery in recent years. Some people say that this is forced by environmental policies, and without changes, they cannot enter urban construction sites; Some people say that this is calculated through bookkeeping, and all the savings from fuel costs are pure profits; Some people also question whether the modified car can be the same as the original car? Will there be problems every few days?
With these questions in mind, we went through the entire process of converting oil to electricity.
Why did the oil to electricity conversion suddenly become popular?
When it comes to the wind of oil to electricity conversion, it's actually two forces twisted together.
The first one is policy. In recent years, environmental protection requirements have become increasingly strict, and areas such as Beijing Tianjin Hebei have designated "high emission zones" and "low emission zones". Many construction sites in urban areas have explicitly stated that gasoline vehicles are not allowed to enter and pure electric equipment is required. The bosses holding the second, third, and even fourth grade cars in their hands have encountered difficulties: if they cannot enter the construction site in the core area, they cannot take on the work; If we really need to buy a new batch of electric excavators, it won't be a small sum of money.
Another driving force is economic accounting. Simply put, what can be saved is earned. Especially in places like mines and quarries where "oil tigers" gather, how much oil a large excavator burns in a day makes the boss's heart bleed. After switching to electricity, the operating costs can be directly reduced by half or even two-thirds, which is too tempting.
As soon as the two forces converged, the conversion from oil to electricity changed from an "optional" to a "mandatory question".
What has been changed from oil to electricity?
Many people think that "oil to electricity" means removing a few batteries from the engine. It's not that simple.
A serious oil to electricity conversion involves removing the entire powertrain - the engine, fuel tank, and cooling system - and replacing it with an electric motor, electronic control, and battery pack. It may sound noisy, but a reliable modification plan emphasizes "no trace" - except for the power source being replaced, the remaining hydraulic system, electronic components, wiring, and even air conditioning vents and cooling structures are all original and not moving at all.
Why do we have to do this? The matching of hydraulic system and power is a big question for excavators. The more you move, the higher the probability of problems. The principle of minimal modification, in other words, is to "keep everything that can remain still", only replacing the "heart" and keeping everything else as it is, in order to maximize the reliability of the vehicle.
But just changing the heart is not enough. Many people are worried that after making the changes, they may feel "uncomfortable" - slow movements, lack of energy, and a change in the feel of the operation. This concern is not unnecessary, there are indeed many examples on the market where performance is discounted after modification.
Where is the problem? Power curve. Diesel engines have their own torque output characteristics, and pumps and valves are matched according to this characteristic. If you replace the motor, if the control system cannot keep up, the power output will not match the original car, and it will naturally feel uncomfortable to drive.
So the real test of technology is the vehicle control system (VCU). A good control system can make the output curve of the motor highly consistent with the original engine of the car. The motor will give as much power as the pump needs, not more or less, just right. After this step, the driver can hardly feel the difference when sitting on the seat - it should be fast, powerful and powerful, and the operating feel is the same as before.
Shijiazhuang Tianyuan Technology has an exclusive VCU vehicle control system, which is also one of their core technologies for oil to electricity conversion. With this system, the modified vehicle can restore the original power curve, and the overall performance and operating experience are almost the same as before. This set of things is simple to say, truly adjusted, and backed by a lot of testing and data accumulation.
How is this account calculated?
Talking endlessly, what bosses are most concerned about is: how much does it cost to change one? How long can we recoup our investment?
Let's first calculate the cost account. Taking a 20 ton excavator as an example, a brand new electric excavator with 422 kWh of electricity has a market price of around 1 million yuan. What if it's oil to electricity? The cost is only about 40% of a new car, which is more than half the difference.
Some people may ask, will the lifespan of an old car modified be shorter? Here is an industry common sense that needs to be clarified first - the service life of a excavator's structural components is usually 30000 to 35000 hours, while the service life of an engine is generally only 15000 to 25000 hours. That is to say, many cars are still in their prime when it comes to engine replacement, with core structural components such as the frame, boom, and hydraulic system still in their prime.
This is the most ingenious aspect of oil to electricity conversion. The engine is not working, there is no need to replace the entire vehicle. Simply replace the powertrain with an electric one, and the remaining lifespan of the structural components can be extended by 8 to 10 years. It's like spending a small amount of money to make a car 'live again'.
Calculate the operational account again. The gap is even greater.
Taking a 70 ton excavator as an example, if the diesel version has a fuel consumption of 50 liters per hour, and the oil price is 7 yuan, the hourly fuel cost is 350 yuan. How about switching to electricity? Equipped with a 330 kW motor, at an average load rate of 60%, the electricity consumption per hour is about 200 kWh. Calculated at an industrial electricity price of 1 yuan per kilowatt hour, the electricity cost is approximately 200 yuan. Equivalent to just over half of the fuel cost.
Of course, the difference in small tonnage is not so exaggerated, but saving half to two-thirds of operating costs is a widely recognized figure in the industry.
What about the return cycle? Different regions are different. For example, in places like Shijiazhuang where rental prices are relatively high, the cost can be recouped in about a year and a half after the renovation is completed. This is still under normal leasing conditions. If it is used in one's own mine and the equipment attendance rate is high, the return on investment will only be faster.
Based on the real case of the Komatsu PC1250 mine modified by Shijiazhuang Tianyuan Technology, users estimate that they can save 2 million yuan in oil costs per year. And the modification fee for this car is also about 2 million yuan. What concept? Work for a year and save one modified car.
Of course, not all devices have such exaggerated benefits. The larger the tonnage, the higher the fuel consumption, and the more obvious the economic benefits of modification; Although small tonnage equipment is also cost-effective, the absolute value is not as shocking, and the payback period will be longer.
What kind of car is suitable for modification?
Replacing oil with electricity is not a panacea, and not every car is worth changing.
From a regional perspective, areas with strict environmental requirements have the most urgent demands. For example, in the areas of Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, and Handan under the Taihang Mountains, there is a particularly strong demand for the modification of excavators ranging from 6 to 20 tons. The reason is simple - the construction site in the city cannot be accessed, and if it is not changed, there will be no work to do. This is' passive modification ', driven by policies.
But if you look at the whole country, you will find that the real big head is in large tonnage. Nationwide, the modification volume of large excavators is the largest, and many of these users come to them voluntarily - not because of policy pressure, purely because they think it's worth it after calculating. Mines, quarries, and large-scale infrastructure construction sites have equipment that runs continuously from start to finish, with a huge amount of oil and money saved. After the renovation is completed, real gold and silver are saved.
From the condition of the car, it's not necessarily the older the better to renovate. A car with poor condition itself has almost lost its structural components, and even after modification, it won't take many years to use, resulting in low cost-effectiveness. On the contrary, it is those cars that are well maintained, have engines that need major repairs or replacements, and have a relatively long overall structural lifespan that are most suitable for modification - whether they are imported or domestic brands, as long as they have a solid foundation and can be used for five to six years or even longer after modification, there is no problem.
Where can I do the modification?
Converting oil to electricity is not something that can be done by just finding a repair shop.
The most ideal place is a professional renovation park. There must be a power laboratory, dismantling and modification platform, testing platform, and debugging site inside, with a complete set of supporting facilities. Whether the design performance can be achieved after the modification depends on these devices for testing and adjustment, it's not just about installing batteries and powering them on. Of course, such hardware barriers are not low, and there are not many renovation manufacturers in the industry that truly possess such complete capabilities and qualifications. Shijiazhuang Tianyuan Technology is one of the few among them.
Shijiazhuang Tianyuan Oil to Electricity Conversion Park
What about users in remote areas? You can't drag the car for thousands of kilometers to make changes. Nowadays, the industry is also exploring the path of modularization - core components are produced and debugged in factories, made into modules, and then partners with mechanical manufacturing capabilities are found near users to complete installation and assembly locally. This can ensure the quality of core technology and solve the problem of long-distance transportation.
Shijiazhuang Tianyuan Technology is currently doing this - for single or small modifications, it is recommended to go directly to the factory for modification, as the facilities are complete and debugging is also convenient; For large quantities and long distances, we will use ecological partners to carry out localized installation, modular production, and land nearby.
The matter of replacing oil with electricity is ultimately a "middle ground" in the wave of electrification of construction machinery. It is not meant to replace brand new electric equipment, but to provide a more economical and practical choice for users who have a large inventory of fuel equipment and want to keep up with the trend of electrification.
The hand of policy is pushing, and the hand of the market is pulling. With the convergence of these two forces, the heat of oil to electricity conversion is expected to continue to rise. But after all, the user's eyes are clear - whether it can really save money, whether it can be used really well, and whether there is after-sales guarantee, these three are the hard indicators.
From current practice, as long as the right modification plan and partner are selected, the cost-effectiveness of oil to electricity conversion is tangible. After all, anyone can calculate the cost of revitalizing old devices and saving real money.
