Test Drive: Deere 644K Hybrid

摘要

In an industry that is slowly embracing alternative energy for heavy equipment, John Deere's Construction & Forestry division has thrown its hat into the hybrid ring with its new 644K Hybrid wheel loader, which uses a diesel engine to power an electric drive system that burns up to 25% less fuel. Last month, Deere invited ENR to test-drive the loader at its training facility in Coal Valley, Ill., near Deere's global headquarters in Moline. We ran both the 644K Hybrid and its non-hybrid counterpart in scenarios that simulated scooping, unloading and navigating a jobsite. It is Deere's first hybrid construction machine and, outside of the mining class, the market's first hybrid loader to go into production.