3 min read
Last reviewed: 28 August 2026
For construction contractors facing rising fuel costs, hybrid excavators can provide a way to reduce fuel consumption and emissions without compromising productivity. The potential benefit depends on the application, with frequent, repetitive slewing providing more opportunities for the machine to recover and reuse energy.
Recent ABS data from the June 2026 Business Conditions and Sentiments survey shows 85 per cent of construction businesses were negatively impacted by fuel prices or availability, while 87 per cent of those reporting increased operating expenses cited fuel prices as a contributing factor.
Mark Boyes, Komatsu Australia’s National Business Manager for Construction, says the current environment is putting a renewed focus on hybrid excavators – a technology the company has been developing for almost two decades.
Komatsu introduced the world's first commercially available hybrid hydraulic excavator in 2008 in response to rising fuel prices, and today its hybrid technology still provides contractors with a proven way to reduce fuel consumption and emissions without compromising productivity.
"When fuel prices rise, even relatively small improvements in fuel efficiency can make a difference to the bottom line," Mark says.
"Hybrid technology takes that a step further because it allows us to recover energy that would otherwise be lost and put it back to work. Customers can reduce fuel consumption while maintaining, and in some applications increase, the productivity and performance they expect from their excavator."
Komatsu's hybrid system captures energy generated as the excavator's upper structure decelerates during slewing, converting it into electricity and storing it in an ultra-capacitor. The recovered energy is then used to assist the machine during operation, reducing demand on the diesel engine.
Applications involving frequent, repetitive slewing therefore provide more opportunities to recover and reuse energy.
"If you're working a stockpile and loading trucks, you're continually digging, slewing, unloading and slewing back again. That repetitive cycle is exactly where hybrid technology can come into its own. The more opportunities the machine has to recover energy through the slew cycle, the greater the potential benefit,” Mark says.
Komatsu customer Andy Divall from Goulburn-based civil contractor Divall’s Earthmoving has experienced those benefits firsthand.
He purchased Komatsu's first hybrid excavator in Australia in 2008 and has continued to use hybrid machines within his fleet, particularly for crushing applications.
"A standard excavator might burn around 16 litres of fuel an hour, while the hybrid can do the same work on around eight litres. That's about a 50 per cent reduction in fuel burn in the right application, which is a massive saving for us,” Andy says.
Komatsu's hybrid excavator range includes the 23-tonne HB215LC-3 and the 38-tonne HB365LC-3, both designed to deliver fuel savings while maintaining the reliability, productivity and quality of build expected from Komatsu excavators.
"There's no single fuel-saving figure that applies to every worksite, but when a hybrid is working in an application that plays to the strengths of the technology, the savings can be substantial.
"That's what makes understanding the customer's operation so important. It's about putting the right machine into the right application and helping them get the greatest possible return from the technology."
While the construction industry's focus on lower-emission machinery continues to grow, Mark says the immediate economic case for hybrid equipment is equally important.
“With fuel costs putting pressure on contractors, we’re encouraging our customers to consider where hybrid excavators could fit within a fleet and deliver meaningful savings.
"For the right application, you're using less fuel to get the same job done, and that's good for both the customer's bottom line and their emissions."
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
