IN Brief:
- Albert van de Scheur has deployed its first electrically powered loader crane.
- The Palfinger unit can lift one tonne at a reach of approximately 30m.
- A dedicated battery supports up to eight hours of electric crane operation.
Albert van de Scheur has introduced its first electrically powered loader crane, combining a 72-tonne-metre Palfinger unit with a Volvo FH 500 8×2 rigid truck.
The Dutch lifting and transport specialist developed the vehicle with Harbers Trucks Apeldoorn and bodybuilder HSE for work including the relocation of industrial machinery and complete production lines.
Mounted behind the cab and equipped with an additional jib, the crane can lift approximately 1,000kg at a horizontal reach of 30m. A dedicated battery supplies up to eight hours of electric operation, allowing lifting to continue without running the truck engine.
Because the battery can recharge from the vehicle’s alternator while the truck travels between jobs, the system does not depend on every destination providing a high-capacity charging connection. That arrangement combines conventional long-distance mobility with electric operation at the point of use.
Industrial relocation work often takes place inside factories or close to live production areas where exhaust emissions, noise, heat, and restricted ventilation limit conventional diesel-powered equipment. Electric crane operation reduces local emissions and makes communication around the lift easier.
The unit can also work in noise-sensitive neighbourhoods and areas subject to environmental restrictions, including locations close to protected Natura 2000 sites. Its open-and-closed body arrangement allows equipment to be carried while retaining flexibility for varied lifting and transport tasks.
Designing the truck involved more than replacing engine-driven hydraulics with a battery. The chassis wheelbase was shortened to improve the turning circle, while the full configuration had to remain within European axle-load and gross-vehicle-weight requirements.
Weight distribution is particularly important on a loader crane because the machine, stabilisers, jib, battery, body, tools, and payload compete within a finite legal mass. Additional battery capacity can extend operating time but may reduce useful payload or create pressure on individual axles.
The machine follows other electrically powered lifting products entering the market, including a compact Klaas crane designed for urban and restricted-access work. The widening range reflects demand for equipment matched to specific low-emission duties rather than a single universal replacement for diesel.
Duty cycle will determine whether electrification is commercially effective. A crane may remain on site for a full shift but spend only part of that period moving under heavy load, allowing batteries to support a working day more readily than they could on equipment drawing maximum power continuously.
Actual endurance will vary with load, radius, lifting speed, hydraulic demand, temperature, auxiliary systems, and operator technique. Fleet managers will need telematics and job records to understand how frequently the battery approaches its limit and whether charging arrangements match operational demand.
Reliability and service support will also shape adoption. Specialist lifting vehicles are highly utilised assets, and a fault affecting the battery, inverter, controls, hydraulics, or charging system can disrupt both transport and an entire production-line relocation programme.
Operators and maintenance technicians require additional competencies around high-voltage isolation, battery condition, thermal management, software diagnostics, and emergency response. Those requirements sit alongside established lifting, stabilisation, inspection, and roadworthiness obligations.
Electric operation provides a further benefit where clients record construction and maintenance emissions at project level. Fuel avoided during lifting can be measured more accurately than broad estimates applied across an entire vehicle fleet, provided charging energy and operating hours are captured consistently.
The economic calculation will depend on purchase cost, battery life, maintenance, residual value, electricity, avoided diesel consumption, and the availability of work that rewards low-noise or zero-tailpipe-emission operation. Restricted factories, urban sites, and environmentally controlled locations may provide a stronger initial market than conventional external lifting where diesel remains acceptable.
Albert van de Scheur has set a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2028 and plans to add its first fully electric Volvo truck during the same period. The new crane provides an intermediate step, electrifying the lifting operation while retaining a conventional road platform for longer journeys.
As the equipment enters regular service, the operator will be able to compare battery endurance across machinery moves, factory work, urban lifts, and external projects. That operational record should provide a clearer measure of where electric loader cranes can replace engine-driven hydraulics without reducing reach, capacity, or fleet availability.
Further adoption will depend on whether similar vehicles can be configured without unacceptable compromises in payload, axle loading, range, or purchase cost. The first projects will test the balance between cleaner site operation and the demanding utilisation expected from specialist lifting equipment.
