Test Run & Review: The World’s First Electric Backhoe, Case’s 580EV

Case launched the world’s first electric backhoe on the market earlier this year, and on this episode of The Dirt, host and professional operator Bryan Furnace puts it through its paces in a side-by-side comparison with the company’s diesel model. Case first revealed the electric backhoe as Project Zeus at ConExpo 2020. Rather than retrofit a diesel model, the company designed the 580EV from the ground up, basing its performance specs on the diesel 580 Super N, the company’s most popular backhoe. So how does the 580EV stack up against the Super N? Bryan’s verdict: “It’s an absolutely awesome machine to run.” Of course, when it comes to electric construction equipment, questions quickly center on runtime, charge time, cost and other issues. Along with his review and test run, Bryan interviews Case product manager George MacIntyre to get all your questions answered about the 580EV. So to find out more about the world’s first electric backhoe to hit the market, check out the latest episode of The Dirt. Equipment World serves up weekly videos on the latest in construction equipment, work trucks and pickup trucks – everything contractors need to get their work done. Subscribe and visit us at equipmentworld.com! Newsletter Signup: https://randallreilly.dragonforms.com... More Review Videos:    • The Dirt: Equipment Reviews   In This Episode: 00:00 – Case 580EV Overview & Review 00:41 – Walkaround 01:10 – Battery Storage 01:37 – Battery Management & Hydraulic Tank 01:55 – Specs Compared to Diesel 02:26 – Runtime 04:03 – Charging 05:00 – Customization 06:05 – Traditional Transmission 06:54 – Reversible Fan 07:20 – Thermal Management System 08:47 – Low Voltage Battery System 09:43 – Included Extra Features 10:45 – Auxiliary Hydraulics 11:43 – Battery Management Unit 12:32 – What to Do if the Batteries Die 13:12 – Attachments 14:13 – Independent Sensitivity Settings 14:45 – Independent Motors 15:49 – How to Operate for Maximum Battery Life 16:53 – Hydraulic Settings 18:28 – Review 20:33 – Cabin 20:57 – Operation 22:49 – Electric vs Diesel – Sound 24:07 – Electric vs Diesel – Performance 26:23 – Room for Improvement 28:33 – Final Thoughts Video Transcript: Bryan Furnace Today we're here to talk about Case’s 580EV. That is the electric backhoe that Case has on the market. We actually went out and reviewed this piece of equipment. And I have to say I'm pretty stinkin’ impressed. So without further ado, we're going to cut over to my conversation with the Case representative as we walk around the machine and talk about some of the subtle differences and what you're going to notice about the new Case. Bryan Furnace Five ATV. George MacIntyre All right. So this is our five ATV backhoe loader. It's electric product electric battery. So it's got a 400-volt battery system in it. And two electric motors that are tied to that, with a traditional, transmission as well. So it's got a direct drive Powershift transmission that's tied into one of the electric motors. And then the second electric motor is for all the hydraulics, whether it's for a loader or for tobacco. George MacIntyre Okay, okay. Bryan Furnace Battery storage looks what I was kind of initially walking up. Looks like it's low on the machine. Or is that what's under the hood? George MacIntyre All right. So the batteries are actually located behind this side panel here okay. There's two batteries stacked on top of each other with the small gap in between them for cooling purposes. Okay. And that's right underneath the hood. The actual the hood design is completely changed from what you'd see on a 580 super. And which would be the equivalent diesel model. George MacIntyre Okay. The hydraulic tank used to be on the other side of the unit, and this side was the diesel fuel fill. So no need for that anymore. So now we brought the hydraulic take on this side. And then the battery management system components are where the tank was before. Gotcha. Okay. Bryan Furnace So when it comes to the performance characteristics of this compared to the diesel counterpart, was the goal to build it pretty on par with the diesel model or kind of take advantage of the oof that electric offers. And do you have some performance gains, right. George MacIntyre So the goal was to build a ground up new unit okay, okay. And that's what we started with. As far as specs goes, that is one area where we wanted to have equivalent specs. So if you look at the specs of this machine, you'll see the same performance specs as the 580 super in okay. Bryan Furnace And then when it comes to runtime, I know there's the big electric conversation. There's job time, but there's run time, right? What's your run time on? Right. George MacIntyre Yeah. That is by far the number one question we get is...