HD Hyundai Infracore targets eco-friendly equipment market

HD Hyundai Infracore Co., a construction equipment unit of South Korea’s HD Hyundai Group, is set to make inroads into the eco-friendly sector by launching a small electric-powered excavator in the global market next month.

HD Hyundai Infracore, formerly Hyundai Doosan Infracore Co., is scheduled to unveil a 1.7-ton-digger equipped with electric motors and batteries instead of a diesel engine, an excavator that does not generate carbon and reduces vibration and noise, according to industry sources on Monday. The batteries are made by LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s second-largest electric vehicle battery maker.

The excavator suitable for country houses and small farms was predicted to have a price tag of some 46 million won ($35,330) in South Korea.

The company first showcased its prototype in 2020 with an aim to release the equipment earlier this year but postponed the launch to improve its marketability.

AIMING TO LEAD GLOBAL ECO-FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT MARKET

“Growing regulations across the world led by Europe expanded the trend of carbon neutral for the construction industry,” said an industry source in Seoul. “The excavator is expected to help the company dominate the market as global competitors have few such models.”

HD Hyundai Infracore and its group affiliate HD Hyundai Construction Equipment Co. plan to manufacture more eco-friendly machines that use electricity and hydrogen as fuel. The two companies aim to produce electric excavators of up to 14 tons.

HD Hyundai Construction Equipment is scheduled to mass-produce a 1.9-ton-electric digger next year and commercialize larger construction equipment of more than 20 tons equipped with hydrogen fuel cells in 2026.

The company has recently started the development of plug-in hybrid equipment, which uses electricity for short distances and diesel engines for work at remote sites.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.