Skip to main content

Hitachi debuts its hybrid hydraulic excavator ZH210-6 in Europe

The ZH210-6 was presented by the Hitachi official Belgium dealer Luyckx at the recent Matexpo biennial trade fair in the Kortrijk Xpo centre. Kortrijk Xpo, in the West Flanders city of Kortrijk, is one of the country’s largest indoor exposition arenas. Hitachi said that the ZH210-6 has the lowest ever fuel consumption for a Hitachi medium hydraulic excavator. It has an advanced hydraulic system and a new lightweight arm.
November 14, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
Compared with the previous ZH-5 hybrid model, the ZH210-6 uses 12% less fuel
The ZH210-6 was presented by the 233 Hitachi official Belgium dealer Luyckx at the recent Matexpo biennial trade fair in the Kortrijk Xpo centre.


Kortrijk Xpo, in the West Flanders city of Kortrijk, is one of the country’s largest indoor exposition arenas. Hitachi said that the ZH210-6 has the lowest ever fuel consumption for a Hitachi medium hydraulic excavator. It has an advanced hydraulic system and a new lightweight arm.

Compared with the previous ZH-5 hybrid model, it uses 12% less fuel - in both PWR and ECO mode - and compared with the standard ZX210-6, it offers a 20% fuel saving. The new power unit of the ZH210-6 consists of a 73kW diesel engine (smaller than the ZH210-5) and 44kW electric power assist motor to significant reduce fuel consumption.

The diesel engine output alone is sufficient for ordinary operation, and when maximum power is required for heavy workloads, the electric power assist motor can also be used. This makes the new hybrid model more efficient than the ZH210-5 and the standard ZX210-6

The new integrated power unit led to the adoption of a new electrical storage device for the ZH210-6. Instead of the capacitor of the ZH210-5, the new model is equipped with a large-capacity lithium-ion battery developed by Hitachi Automotive Systems. Hitachi said that this has significantly increased continuous output to the electric power assist motor, which means it is able to support the engine power considerably and for a longer period.

During light operation, the electric power assist motor acts as a generator and charges the lithium-ion battery unit, similar to the way it works in a hybrid car.

A further update from the previous model is an enhanced version of the hydraulic TRIAS-HX II system. The hydraulic electric swing has also been improved, with an electric motor torque maximum of 220Nm, compared with 160Nm on the ZH210-5.

Unlike the standard Zaxis-6 hydraulic excavators, the ZH210-6 does not use SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology, which means fewer additional costs for owners, as AdBlue is not required.

Instead the new model complies with Stage IV standards by incorporating an advanced diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter (DPF).

The arm of the ZH210-6 hybrid hydraulic excavator is manufactured from high-tensile steel that is 15% lighter than the standard arm of both the ZH210-5 and ZX210-6.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Volvo Penta’s latest generation diesels meet low emissions targets
    March 7, 2018
    Volvo Penta has a full line-up of diesel engines for the 5, 8, 11, 13 and 16litre capacity range. These are available in low emissions, Stage V compliant variants. For the 5, 8 and 11 litre engines, particulate filters and SCR systems are used in the emissions control package to meet the stage V requirements. Meanwhile the 13 and 16litre engines feature an SCR system that is integrated with the particulate filter. Passive regeneration is used for the particulate filters, so there is no need to stop a machin
  • Hitachi’s ZX55U-6EB is its first zero-emission 5-tonne battery-powered excavator for Europe
    October 24, 2022
    Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) is meeting the growing need for emission-free equipment and a sustainable future with the launch of a new five-tonne battery-powered excavator, the ZX55U-6EB.
  • Versatile machines offer improved efficiency
    April 28, 2015
    An array of versatile new machines from different segments is available for the rental sector - Mike Woof writes The rental machine market continues to develop in many countries around the world. Equipment rental has a long history in the UK and the US and in more recent years has developed well in France also, while other countries are also benefiting from growth in this sector. As with other machines, equipment for the European and US rental sector now has to meet tough exhaust and noise emissions legi
  • Innovations in earthmoving
    May 13, 2024
    New innovations for the crawler excavator market will boost productivity as well as sustainability – Mike Woof writes