Kubota BUEE brought its micro-hybrid system to Bauma 2019

Kubota BUEE (Business Unit Engine Europe) brought innovation to Bauma 2019 in Munich, where it featured a prototype of its latest Micro-Hybrid system.

Kubota BUEE (Business Unit Engine Europe) brought innovation to Bauma 2019 in Munich, where it featured a prototype of its latest Micro-Hybrid system. It forms part of the largest and most comprehensive range of engines Kubota has ever displayed at a major construction trade show. 

Kubota believes equipment manufacturers will progressively become less reliant upon any single power source, and that the engines themselves will need to further push the boundaries in areas of fuel efficiency, power density and adaptability. As a result, drawing upon its vast proven experience, Kubota is confident that the Micro-Hybrid system will offer greater opportunities for equipment manufacturers to exploit advances in product design flexibility, optimization and efficiencies derived from "Down-Sizing", while maintaining the overall machine performance and productivity. 

Designed principally for types of applications that demand an immediate response to instantaneous peak overloads within the typical machine duty cycle, the “Power Assist" Micro-Hybrid system delivers and supports the engine by delivering an additional electrical power boost of up to 10kW. The immediate torque available offers an efficiency boost at the most crucial time while recuperating and recharging its battery pack when not initiated. 

This means, as an example, that a 3-cylinder Micro-Hybrid equipped engine can achieve similar levels of performance as a conventional 4-cylinder engine and avoid the necessity to overcompensate by installing a larger capacity engine. Working in partnership with the engine, the Micro-Hybrid system allows for reduced fuel consumption and lower operational costs, while offering increases in work efficiency and value. 

System integration with Kubota’s electronic engine management control means that the Micro-Hybrid system is compatible with many of Kubota's renowed diesel, gasoline, LPG and natural gas engines across the power ranges. Utilising and benefiting from an independent driveline, the Micro-Hybrid system maintains accessibility to the existing power take off positions of a conventional engine. This can be particularly appealing to both existing applications and more compactly designed applications in the future. 

“We believe in providing a proven power source solution for our customer needs and that there will not be just one power source in the future", said Daniel Grant, Marketing Manager of Kubota Business Unit Engine Europe. “It's clear that the trend towards down-sizing is increasing, as the need for greater fuel efficiency, durability and total cost of ownership becomes the market focus. A Micro-Hybrid system, which provides power assistance instantaneously is a genuine technological innovation that can make a real difference to our customer's current and future needs”.

First seen merely as a concept at Intermat Paris, Kubota's Micro-Hybrid system can be installed as a package proposal into future machines.