The two protagonist companies are Honda, with its extractable batteries for bikes, and Komatsu, producer of heavy construction vehicles, that are collaborating for the joint development of electrified micro excavators powered by swappable Mobile Power Pack batteries and the establishment of a battery-sharing system for the civil engineering and construction industry.
Through this joint development, the two companies will electrify the Komatsu PC01 micro excavator by equipping it with Honda MPPs and an electrified power unit (eGX). Among various construction machines Komatsu offers, the PC01 is most likely to be used for various functions at worksites near people, trees, flowers and ornamental plants, including pipe-laying, landscaping and agricultural and livestock work. The two companies will strive to introduce the electrified Komatsu PC01 before the end of the current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2022.