Hitachi Construction Machinery and Dimaag to Collaborate on 1.7t Zero-Emission Excavator

Dimaag-AI and Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) today announced a collaboration to develop a fully electric 1.7-ton class excavator targeting European urban construction and indoor demolition markets, with a planned commercial launch in Europe in 2027.

The compact excavator will integrate Dimaag's ENCORE (Electric No Compromise Off-Road Ecosystem) — a complete electric powertrain platform encompassing battery modules, inverters, electric motors, and charging interface electronics. The ENCORE system is designed as a modular, scalable solution that enables OEMs to electrify existing machine platforms without full ground-up redesigns.

The 1.7-ton class is a strategic entry point for construction electrification. Compact excavators in this size range are widely used in confined urban spaces, road-side utility work, and indoor demolition — environments where zero-emission operation is increasingly mandated by city regulations and where the operational noise reduction of electric machines provides a direct competitive advantage.

"Hitachi Construction Machinery brings world-class expertise in compact excavator design," said Ian Wright, VP of Engineering at Dimaag-AI. "Our ENCORE system gives their engineers a proven, high-performance electric powertrain foundation to build on."

The collaboration follows Dimaag's earlier deployment of ENCORE on a Hitachi platform announced in December 2023, which validated the system in field conditions ahead of the commercial program.