“My grandfather was a farmer and started working as a contractor in 1947 after purchasing a tractor. The contracting business officially started in 1969,” Tijs van der Zanden briefly outlines the history of this family business from Moergestel. Ten years later, his father Henk – who is still active in the company on a daily basis – also started contracting activities. “If it had been up to him, everything would be electric by now,” says Tijs with a big laugh.
That statement is less lighthearted than it sounds. In fact, Van der Zanden has held sustainability in high regard for decades. In the 1990s, contract work activities were divested and an environmental division was established, which was renamed Van der Zanden Milieu BV in 2013. The focus shifted to demolition work and environmental remediation. Since then, an eye for circularity and zero-emission operations has been part of the company's DNA.
Through Staadegaard – the predecessor of Staad – Van der Zanden came into contact with Staad’s diesel earthmoving machines in 2008. After a 19-ton and a 30-ton excavator, several models followed, including hybrid excavators with energy storage in the lifting function and, later, electric excavators. “Currently, 10 to 15 percent of our fleet is electric or hybrid,” says Tijs. “That is sufficient to respond effectively to tenders where low or zero emissions weigh heavily.”
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The machinery fleet still consists largely of diesel equipment: five mobile excavators, nine crawler excavators, four midi excavators, a bulldozer, five tractor units with dump trailers, and seventeen trucks. Electrification is not a revolution that will happen overnight, but a gradual process. The aim remains to be able to operate fully electrically by 2030, which is certainly achievable with earthmoving machinery.
In 2022, Van der Zanden joined the DKTI project De Bouwplaats van Morgen (The Construction Site of Tomorrow). Seven civil engineering contractors invested in zero-emission equipment with interchangeable Powerboxes. While the other participants opted for an electric mobile excavator, Van der Zanden went for a 35-ton crawler excavator. “In demolition and heavier earthmoving, you simply need power.”
This DX355LC Electric was delivered in April 2023 and equipped with two Powerbox 400 batteries of 400 kWh each. Shortly thereafter, the machine was operating on Project Harley in Breda, the first fully emission-free demolition job in the Netherlands. Tijs considers the operating time to be the most distinctive feature. “We can run for a full nine-hour workday without any problems. That was the deciding factor for us. With other solutions, you often see that recharging is required in between.”
In 2024, Van der Zanden also put a DX165W Electric into operation. This 17.5-ton mobile excavator with a single Powerbox 400 is primarily used for smaller sewer reconstructions during the finishing phase for road builders. “In practice, that single battery proves to be more than sufficient,” says Tijs. “The Powerbox easily lasts ten to twelve hours. Even under heavy conditions or when driving considerable distances, we don't need to recharge in between.”
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However, he is not without criticism. “We are very pleased with the performance and battery capacity. You do hear the cooling system blowing quite hard in the summer to cool the battery.”
Why electric? The motivation is clear. “We believe it is important to contribute to making the construction sector more sustainable. We want to lead the way in this,” says Tijs. “The choice for Staad was logical. We know each other well, and the DX355LC Electric and DX165W Electric offer exactly what we were looking for.” He even goes a step further: “If Staad hadn't started electrifying machines, the Netherlands would not be nearly as far along in terms of emission-free construction.”
Electric equipment requires a different perspective on energy supply. Through DENS, Van der Zanden has already put five Powerhub 20ft battery containers into operation: three of 2.32 MWh and two of 1.6 MWh. Four more 10ft containers of 480 kWh will follow. In Moergestel, 2,400 solar panels generate approximately 900,000 kWh of green electricity annually. This energy is partly stored in large battery containers and transported to projects using a truck with a hooklift system to recharge off-grid machines.
For Van der Zanden, the combination of on-site generation, smart storage, and emission-free deployment is crucial. With the Powerbox concept, Staad is responding to market demands. “The great thing about these interchangeable battery packs is that you can replace them in the future if battery degradation occurs,” explains Tijs. “The old battery can then serve perfectly well as an energy source on the construction site. That aligns seamlessly with our view on circularity.”
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Yet he remains realistic. “When you see what it all costs, you sometimes think: what are we doing? Our electric excavators prove that it can be done.” The collaboration with Staad is important in this regard. “You notice that this is also a family business: short lines of communication, quick turnaround.”
Operator Bart Paulissen has been working on the lime-green DX355LC-7 Electric for over a year, equipped with Trimble Earthworks GPS and a BMair overpressure system. “In terms of performance and operation, the machine is just as good as a diesel.” The local community is also reacting positively. “People often ask if it is a hybrid. When I say that it runs entirely on solar energy, they look at me in surprise. The combination of the DX355 Electric with a battery container is invaluable. I can easily work for four days without worrying about power on the project.”
This article was published in Grondwerk Magazine, Spring 2026 edition. Would you like to receive this beautiful magazine as well? Then click here.
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