National Grid Will Test the First John Deere’s Electric Backhoe

John Deere and National Grid, an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout the Northeast, will joint test an electric backhoe concept.

The John Deere developed, battery-powered, electric vehicle design – referred to as E-Power – will target the ease of operation and performance level of the diesel-powered, 100 HP 310L Backhoe. The design is intended to provide substantially lower daily operating costs, lower job site noise, enhanced machine reliability, and zero emissions.

“We are excited to work with National Grid, a leader in promoting clean energy solutions, to test the John Deere electric backhoe design in real-world conditions,” said Jason Daly, global director, production systems, technology and marketing, John Deere.

“John Deere is committed to developing innovative, robustly tested, and reliable equipment for our customers, unlocking measurable value through the incorporation of smart technology solutions in our machines. This project is another stepping stone in our backhoe innovation journey, intended to lead to subsequent electrification testing and design refinement.”

The testing period will enable National Grid to expand its use of electric equipment on job sites, reaffirming its commitment to leading the industry in the use of clean and resilient energy solutions.

“National Grid is one of only two energy companies in the US to add electric backhoes to their fleets,” said Badar Khan, President, National Grid, US.

“We are excited to work with John Deere to take an important step in electrifying our company vehicles, which could be revolutionary for our industry. Decarbonizing transportation remains a challenge in the journey to net-zero and we’re hopeful that bringing on more electrified heavy-duty vehicles and equipment will help us make significant progress.”

About National Grid

National Grid is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

About John Deere

Deere & Company is a world leader in providing advanced products, technology, and services for customers whose work is revolutionizing agriculture and construction — those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s increasing need for food, fuel, shelter, and infrastructure.

Chiara De Paoli
Chiara De Paoli
Editor at HeavyQuip Magazine and International Operations Manager for V22 Media