IN Brief:
- H.E. Services has ordered more than £1m of SANY equipment, including STH625E telehandlers and SY19E and SY35E excavators.
- The first four STH625E telehandlers have arrived; each model is rated for 2,500kg maximum lift, falling to 2,000kg at full height.
- Duty cycle, site charging supply, and lifting limits will determine where the battery-electric machines can replace diesel equipment.
H.E. Services (Plant Hire) has ordered more than £1m of SANY machinery for its UK hire operation, including fully electric telehandlers and compact excavators. The first four STH625E telehandlers have already arrived, while the wider order includes SY19E and SY35E excavators. The investment adds battery-powered options for lifting, materials handling, and excavation, with individual projects still needing to account for the machines’ operating limits and charging arrangements.
SANY UK confirmed the investment on 3 November, describing the telehandler element as a substantial order without specifying the final number of units. The £1m-plus figure covers machinery across the package rather than a telehandler-only purchase. The four delivered units establish an initial fleet addition, but neither the overall number ordered nor a timetable for delivering the balance has been disclosed.
The STH625E has a maximum lift height of six metres and a maximum lifting capacity of 2,500kg. Its 1,850mm width and 1,920mm cab height, excluding the beacon, give the machine a compact footprint for restricted construction sites. Those dimensions do not on their own establish suitability for a route: turning circles, ground bearing, overhead obstructions, loading areas, and separation from pedestrians remain part of the lift and movement plan.
The load chart gives a more precise measure of the telehandler’s working envelope than its headline capacity. SANY specifies 2,000kg at maximum lift height and 800kg at maximum forward reach, compared with the 2,500kg maximum under the appropriate boom position. Pallet weight, attachments, boom extension, and ground conditions therefore govern whether a planned lift is permissible. Quoting 2,500kg at six metres would overstate the manufacturer’s published limit.
The telehandler uses a lithium iron phosphate battery to drive its electric systems, while hydraulic power operates the boom and attachments. Its energy-recovery arrangement captures energy during some braking and boom-lowering movements; the amount recovered during a working day will depend on the frequency and character of those operations. SANY has not reported a measured energy saving from the machines now entering H.E. Services’ hire fleet.
SANY advertises up to eight hours of operation from a charge, which should be treated as an upper-end claim rather than a fixed shift duration. Long travel movements, repeated full-height lifts, hydraulic attachment use, ambient temperature, and periods of idle running can change the duty cycle. The hire company’s published specification confirms the same maximum runtime but does not supply an independently measured figure for a representative construction shift.
Charging time is also tied to the supply available at the site. The manufacturer quotes approximately two hours using its higher-voltage AC arrangement and eight hours on a standard lower-voltage supply, subject to the appropriate equipment and installation. Temporary site electrics need enough capacity for the selected charging method, safe cable routing, and a workable sequence if several machines return to the compound together. The presence of a socket does not establish that every charging configuration is available.
Alongside the telehandlers, the SY19E and SY35E extend the order into electric excavation. Excavators have different energy-use patterns from materials handlers, with digging resistance, tracking distance, and hydraulic cycles influencing their working time. Neither the supplier nor H.E. Services has given a model-by-model quantity breakdown or comparable duty-cycle results for this order, so the excavator fleet’s capacity cannot be calculated from the telehandler specifications.
Electric operation removes diesel exhaust from the machines at the point of use, an important distinction on enclosed or emissions-restricted jobs. It does not remove lifting risks, moving-plant hazards, or all noise: hydraulic systems, tracks, tyres, attachments, and surrounding site work still contribute to exposure. Whole-life emissions also depend on equipment manufacture and the electricity used for charging, rather than the absence of an exhaust pipe alone.
The new machinery follows an earlier H.E. Services deployment of an electric plant lorry, although transport vehicles and working plant fulfil different functions. A battery-powered lorry affects the logistics of getting equipment to site; an electric telehandler or excavator changes how material handling and earthworks are powered once the equipment is in use. Charging availability and the timing of equipment returns have to be coordinated across both activities.
Leigh Harris, business development director at SANY UK, linked the purchase to demand for equipment with lower operational emissions. H.E. Services said it had selected the STH625E for its lifting capability, operating time, and operator environment. Those are supplier and customer assessments; neither company has published a comparative productivity trial involving the newly delivered units. Hire utilisation, battery performance, and service records will provide more specific evidence after deployment.
As deliveries continue, the undisclosed total fleet quantity and its division between telehandlers and excavators remain open. Operating records will be needed to assess how the battery-powered machines perform under sustained lifting and excavation duties, especially where charging must take place within short site breaks. The order’s £1m-plus value does not itself establish the amount of diesel consumption or exhaust emissions displaced on individual projects.
