Excess Engineering, founded in Sandnes, Norway, in 2011, is an engineering firm serving the oil, gas and offshore energy industries that has patented an electric actuator it says can replace hydraulic cylinders in excavators, cranes and wheel loaders, carrying loads of up to 120 tonnes with a stroke of up to 3 metres. Hydraulics waste much of the energy in battery-electric machines, the company argues, so electric actuators would let them run longer on smaller batteries. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off with blended finance and received an EU grant of €2.50 million for a €4.16 million project that ran from August 2023 to May 2025, according to CORDIS.
The final report describes three pilots. An actuator for a subsea antenna mast was designed, built and tested. A rig to run two actuators against each other for endurance testing was 90% complete, with testing scheduled from August 2025. The conversion of a diesel Volvo L110H wheel loader into a fully electric, hydraulic-free machine had its engine and hydraulics removed, but actuator components were only 50% complete, with "significant effort" on interfaces cited as the cause of delay, according to the CORDIS reporting page. No results from the endurance tests or the wheel loader have been published since.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Excess Engineering AS, org. no. 996941817, Sandnes
- Founded
- May 2011
- Employees
- 17, Norwegian register
- Core business
- Engineering, subsea tools, automation
- Wheel loader base
- Volvo L110H
- EIC funding
- Blended finance
Where Excess Engineering Stands Now
In 2025 Excess Engineering had revenue of NOK 11.95 million, operating costs of NOK 21.26 million and a net loss of NOK 9.15 million, ending the year with equity of NOK 2.40 million, according to its accounts at the Brønnøysund Register Centre. The company register lists 17 employees. Its website still presents the all-electric wheel loader as a research and development project, alongside engineering services, subsea tools and rentals. No sale of electric actuators for construction machinery has been announced.
"Significant effort has been needed to produce geometrical information, interface drawings and control system interfaces (cause of delay)."
Excess Engineering, final report to the EICThe Technology: Motors Instead of Oil
Heavy machines use hydraulic cylinders because they deliver huge force in a small space. In a battery machine, pumping oil loses energy that must come from the battery. Excess's electromechanical actuator converts motor rotation directly into linear force, with a patented compact bearing, and needs no hydraulic oil. The company claims better efficiency, less maintenance and longer life; no independent test has been published.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
The award aimed to qualify the actuator and demonstrate it in pilots, including the flagship all-electric wheel loader. One pilot was finished. Endurance testing, which would show service life, had not started when the project closed, and the wheel loader was half-built. Nothing public shows either was completed later.
- Subsea pilotDeliveredBuilt and tested.
- Endurance qualificationPartialRig 90%, tests later.
- All-electric wheel loaderUnfinishedActuators 50% at end.
- Market entryUnverifiedNo customer named.
The Money
The EU paid 60% of the project. For a company with revenue of about NOK 12 million, roughly €1 million, the €2.50 million grant was very large. Whether the EIC Fund invested under the blended finance award has not been announced. The 2025 loss left thin equity.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the endurance tests were run and what service life they showed, whether the electric wheel loader was completed, whether the EIC Fund invested, and how the 2025 loss was financed are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Diesel construction machines are a large source of emissions on building sites, the company notes, citing Oslo, where they account for 30% of transport CO2. Efficient electric actuators could make battery machines practical. Excess has a patented design; the proof in a working heavy machine is still missing.
What the award promised
A qualified electric actuator demonstrated in pilots, including an all-electric wheel loader.
What the record shows
One pilot finished, endurance testing pending and a half-built wheel loader.
The Verdict
Behind schedule
Excess Engineering made progress but did not finish what the EIC funded. The wheel loader that would prove its case has not been shown working.
Excess Engineering and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
