McConnel’s driverless Robocut mower goes electric
© McConnel McConnel has unveiled a battery-powered version of its driverless Robocut mower.
Primarily developed for buyers concerned about noise and/or tailpipe emissions, the S300e carries two 48V Vanguard lithium batteries in place of the 28hp petrol engine.
These provide a runtime of four hours and can be replenished in eight, though this can be halved by speccing a fast-charge kit.
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As there is no on-board hydraulic system, the batteries instead power four electric motors – one for each of the 160mm-wide tracks, and two to spin the blades of a new 1.1m rotary mulching deck.
The rest of the machine remains largely unchanged, with its low-profile, track-driven undercarriage allowing it to crawl across slopes up to 55deg while butchering long grass, scrub and small saplings.
Working range of the handheld, twin-joystick remote is up to 150m. This is used to control direction and speed, as well as the height of the cutting deck via an actuator through a range from 25mm to 180mm.
It’s just 1.5m wide, so it can be transported to sites on a flatbed trailer, and it weighs 575kg – 95kg more than the petrol version.
Prices are yet to be announced.