Morrison Utility Services, the UK’s largest dedicated utility service provider and part of M Group Services, has introduced groundbreaking fully electric mini-excavators to its plant portfolio.

The adoption of the innovative JCB 19C-1 E-Tec excavators underlines Morrison Utility Services’ commitment to minimising the environmental impact of its works and follows successful trials undertaken by a number of its contract teams in the north of England.

The fully electric 1.9 tonne excavator is the first of its kind in the UK and has been developed to meet the growing demand for a zero emissions machine that can work inside buildings, tunnels and other emissions-sensitive environments.

Morrison Utility Services Executive Director, John Edwards, commented:

“The E-Tec excavators present clear environmental and sustainability benefits for our operational teams, as well as our clients and their customers. In addition to offering zero emissions, the excavators are extremely quiet, making them an ideal solution for out-of-hours works taking place in urban areas, as well as works taking place around hospitals and schools. The machine also has a retractable undercarriage to enable it to negotiate confined spaces.”

The excavators have been sourced by M Group Services Plant & Fleet Solutions which supports Morrison Utility Services, and all other M Group Services businesses.

Executive Director M Group Services Plant & Fleet Solutions Jeremy Harrison added:

“We continually review emerging alternative power technologies that can support the safety, sustainability and operational efficiency objectives of all M Group Services businesses and their clients.

“In comparison to standard machines that charge at 110V and need a 12 hour charge, these machines charge at 230V and require an eight hour charge, saving four hours of charge time. The excavators will also track and dig constantly for four hours which effectively equates to more than a full day of work on a single charge as the machines will not be in constant use.”.