Liebherr Offers Electric Drive Solutions for Construction Machinery

Compact and lightweight – such is the most common requirement for the gearboxes of emission-free, electric drives. With seven basic gearboxes, the LPI series by Liebherr fulfills exactly this need for high power density. With their low weight, reduced installation space and torque ranges from 20,000 Nm to 350,000 Nm, they are ideally suited as drives for crawler and crawler undercarriages. Customized large gearboxes are even available up to the maximum torque of 2,300,000 Nm.

High level of standardization, flexible configuration

“The advantages of electric construction machinery are not limited to cutting harmful greenhouse gases. The considerable reduction in noise, savings in fuel costs and advantages when awarding contracts are the advantages that raise customer interest. We respond to this trend with the standardized LPI gearbox series,” explains Frowin Wack, head of development at Liebherr. 

Despite its high cost-effectiveness, the LPI series has a wide range of options for flexible customization, depending on application requirements. The gearboxes can be designed with two, three or four stages, and their connections are suitable for all standard electric and hydraulic motors in the market. At the same time, the ratio range extends from 15 to 750, enabling the best possible drive combination of a gearbox and a motor. The brakes, seals and sensors also allow for optimal configuration to match the application.

Fully electric construction machines with Liebherr drives

In addition to Liebherr itself, other construction machinery manufacturers also rely on Liebherr’s LPI gearbox solutions in their machines. And there are indeed many reasons for this. These encompass, for example, sustainability aspects, which influence the choice of electric machines for projects taking place near nature conservation areas. Construction companies that take this into account have clear advantages when it comes to awarding contracts. Liebherr-Components has positioned itself as a competent system supplier, offering not only special components, but also a wide standardized portfolio. This is important for subsequent support, spare parts logistics and the associated cost-effectiveness, especially when fast support is required for machines operating worldwide.

According to Frowin Wack, another important aspect is the lower noise emission of electric machines. “Noise means stress, and less noise at a construction site is an important contribution to occupational safety. At the same time, the range of possible operating time increases. Quieter machines can be used early in the morning, late in the evening and sometimes even at night. Especially in urban areas, this can be a selling point regarding quiet construction sites.”

The development specialists at Liebherr are convinced that the future will see a variety of drive types, including electro-hydraulic, fully electric, and diesel-electric solutions. Customers require lower maintenance efforts for electric drives, which is a clear cost advantage. Regardless of a drive concept, construction machinery manufacturers are well equipped with Liebherr's LPI gearbox series.