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

  • Bobcat’s new E63 Compact Tail Swing excavator makes Conexpo debut
    January 20, 2014
    Following its summer 2013 launch, Bobcat’s Conexpo debut-making E63 Compact Tail Swing excavator is said to have better joystick controls, lift capacity, arm and bucket forces, and drive performance than previous models. Replacing the E60, the E63 is the second-largest machine in the company’s compact excavator family. The 6.3tonne excavator features a number of operator conveniences including a new blade float, multi-function joysticks, colour instrumentation panel and an auto-shift drive system.
  • Doosan’s largest excavator
    March 18, 2022
    Doosan has launched the largest excavator model ever manufactured by the company, the DX1000LC-7 Stage V compliant 100tonne crawler model.
  • Lowering construction machine exhaust emissions
    November 6, 2017
    The alternatives to diesel fuel as a power source continue to grow as firms move to cut emissions - Mike Woof writes. Only the most myopic could have failed to notice that times are changing in terms of engine technology. In the on-highway automotive sector as well as for the off-highway construction machine segment, manufacturers are looking to lower tailpipe emissions. Similar technologies have been employed in both on-highway and off-highway sectors, although those solutions have been adapted to better
  • Volvo Penta gears up with new engines
    February 19, 2015
    Volvo Penta will show two newly-redesigned 5litre and 8litre engines and a complete range of common-platform units spanning all emission levels. The company’s Stage IV/Tier 4 Final D11 engine will be seen with the new Stage IV/Tier 4 Final-compliant 5litre and 8litre engines. Developed in coordination with the Volvo Group, the D5 and D8 engines feature a newly-designed platform, and are also available to meet Stage II/Tier 2, Stage IIIA/Tier 3 equivalent and Tier 4 Final/Stage IV emissions standards. This