How JLG Balances Practicality & Sustainability in the Concrete Industry

Concrete is the cornerstone of our modern world. However, its production comes at a hefty price to the environment. In fact, concrete is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

While cement production leads the charge in terms of CO2 emissions, extraction of materials and transportation also contribute to the overall environmental impact. It will take changes in all segments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work toward a greener world.

JLG is no stranger to this work. For decades, the JLG team has created equipment that meets the needs of operators while also ensuring that the industry can become good stewards of the environment.

“I think when you look at JLG as a company, we're fortunate that we have been in the electric equipment business for a long time,” says Shay Evans, business development manager for JLG Industries. “We've had electric scissor lifts and electric boom lifts for years and we had hybrid 15 years ago, when hybrid wasn't even a thing.”

From electric scissor lifts that provide clean and quiet operation to boom lifts that feature enhanced efficiency, JLG machines are tailored to reduce emissions without compromising performance.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of these solutions.

JLG Builds Electric Solutions for Today’s Operator

To create electric equipment that is practical in today’s industry, simply adding batteries won’t cut it. The machines need to be completely reconstructed, adapting to the mechanics of a new power source.

“We don't believe that the right approach for JLG is to take the 60-ft boom or the 80-ft boom, pull the engine out, figure out how to throw some batteries in there and call it done,” says Evans. “It’s about coming up with smarter designs. You redesign a unit from the ground up and say, yes, we want to have an 80-footer, and we wanted to have all the capability that our gas unit does.”

One of the leading considerations in the developing these smarter designs is usability.  If you can only use an electric scissor lift for four hours before you have to charge it again and it’s going to take eight hours to charge it, that’s not going to work for anyone.

That’s why the electric models at JLG are built to deliver powerful, diesel-like performance with less emissions, reduced fuel needs, a quieter work area and fewer scheduled services.

JLG has a full lineup of electric boom lifts that are environmentally friendly, energy efficient and help keep productivity high.

For example, the electric EC600SJ telescopic boom lift allows operators to reach peak productivity with 60-ft 3-in platform height and 43-ft 3-in horizontal outreach.

Whereas the electric E400AJPN articulating boom lift offers great access to hard-to-reach places and enhanced maneuverability with Automatic Traction Control.

Both models hold their own when it comes to productivity, all while producing zero emissions.

Additionally, there is an extensive line of electric scissor lifts, anchored by the DaVinci® AE1932 All-Electric Scissor Lift. This fully electric scissor lift has zero hydraulic components, which means you experience zero leaks. Its electric driveline components contribute to a 70% decrease in power consumption, enabling this machine to do more work while consuming less energy.

Going Electric Isn’t Always Just for The Benefit of The Environment

Selecting an electric machine is great for the environment, however, it also just might be the best option for the specific job.

Picture it: you’re building a 600,000 sq ft warehouse that's 60-ft tall. When you’re looking to close the building in, you realize you’re going to have 30 lifts in this building, all running on diesel. Now, that’s a problem. In this instance, electric equipment becomes an attractive option to reduce your crew’s exposure to potentially harmful fumes.

Plus, with mounting environmental and regulatory pressures, more and more bidding processes are including stipulations about carbon emissions. In some cases, turning to electric or hybrid models can make your operation more marketable for these jobs and help you during the bidding process.

The Case for Hybrid and What Comes Next

While there have been tremendous strides with electric, it’s not a practical solution for every jobsite. Especially for times when you’re looking to run equipment 11-12 hours a day. In those instances, hybrid needs to become part of the conversation.

JLG’s hybrid articulating and telescopic boom lifts run on a battery with electric drive systems, coupled with a diesel generator. Users experience zero emissions when running in electric-only mode and low emissions when the diesel generator is running to charge the battery.

In indoor applications, a user can disable the engine with a switch for emissions-free, low-noise operation. Additionally, the charger on JLG hybrid machines can plug into an external source to charge the batteries without running the engine.

JLG offers hybrid articulating boom lifts, hybrid telescopic boom lifts and hybrid compact crawler booms.

At the end of the day, this is a fine line to walk. Every project is different, and everyone will need to find a way to balance productivity and green initiatives.

“It's not a cookie cutter world when it comes to equipment and how it gets used,” says Evans. “You can go to four different job sites and they're using the same piece of equipment, but they're using it four different ways because every job is different. The future for us is to be able to offer options across our line of products in in multiple power sources.”

These are just a handful of the options available today for those looking to explore electric or hybrid machines. JLG has an extensive product catalog, backed by leading experts in the field who can help create tailored recommendations for businesses to achieve their goals. Want to learn more about the JLG electric and hybrid models that can help for your next concrete project? Contact us at https://jlg.com/en/industries/concrete.