World's first 60-ton hybrid mobile telescopic crane to be mass-produced

More than four years were spent behind the scenes working on the world premiere that was officially brought into the open during DelfSail 2024: the world's first 60-ton hybrid mobile telescopic crane. Wagenborg Nedlift presented the ultramodern crane on the day Queen Máxima christened two new ships of Royal Wagenborg on the quay in Delfzijl. Main precondition for the crane builder was that the machine could be mass produced.

Big party in Delfzijl, home port of maritime transport company Royal Wagenborg. During the seventh edition of DelfSail, Queen Máxima visited to christen two 150-meter transport ships, the 'Alexia' (with a drone) and the 'Máxima'. This was just one highlight of four days of DelfSail, in which over 450,000 visitors were able to enjoy much more than 'tall ships' and a range of activities and music performances. For Wagenborg Nedlift, it was also a special day. On the quay was the XCMG XCA60_EV, the world's first 60-ton hybrid mobile telescopic crane which is manufactured in China, but can still be seen as a European product.

The background of this crane is a market trend, in which clients increasingly demand sustainable lifting solutions. "Almost five years ago we issued a tender for a future-proof sustainable crane in the class up to 60 ton lifting capacity," said Johan Dorgelo, Commercial Director at Wagenborg Nedlift. "From European suppliers we did not get adequate solutions, which did come from China from manufacturer XCMG, one of the largest machine manufacturers in the world. An important requirement was that the crane had to be serially build, because we wanted to get rid of customization each time. That is too costly and our goal, above all, was to accelerate the sustainability of our equipment."

In 2023, XCMG delivered a first demo model. "We tested this crane extensively. Also with customers. Then you discover that in China they are more advanced in technology, but in terms of comfort and ease of operation the standards are different. Then, together with the manufacturer and with the help of Aboma Keboma, TüV, RDW and other bodies important for approval in Europe, they started thinking and co-designing improvements. That resulted in this XCMG XCA60_EV, equipped with air conditioning and a cabin with wide visibility that is comfortable to work in. This first will be followed up in a European line that can also be serialized in the 80, 130 and 300 ton classes." 

The XCMG XCA60_EV has a mast length of 48 meters, can lift 60 tons and is equipped with a Euro 6 diesel engine for road transport. At the construction site, the crane switches to the 170 kWA electric motor, which also provides the lifting power. Dorgelo: "The combustion engine is from Mercedes, the hybrid system from Volvo, the hydraulics are from Groningen and the engineering was done in Germany. It is in fact a Western European machine that meets Western European standards, but built in China. More importantly, this hybrid crane allows Wagenborg to meet many sustainability goals, not only our own, but also those of our clients."