Xpanner launches automated pile driver to speed up utility-scale solar, energy storage installation. The fully automated system combines GNSS positioning and remote control operation to reduce pile driving cycle times by 45% on utility-scale solar and battery storage job sites. Oct 26 2026 Construction automation company Xpanner announced the commercial launch of the X1 Piling R6, a fully automated pile driving machine engineered to accelerate civil installation timelines on utility-scale solar and battery energy storage system construction sites. The system pairs Xpanner's field-proven automation hardware and software stack with an Everstar R6 crawler base machine to automate pile positioning, travel, alignment, hammering, and depth control in a single execution cycle. Conventional pile driving typically requires a two-person crew operating alongside separate surveying, marking, and site preparation teams. The X1 folds those manual steps into an automated workflow executed via remote control. Operators upload a pile schedule and coordinate file, guide the machine to the start of a row, and initiate operation with a single command. High-precision dual-antenna GNSS receivers with Real-Time Kinematic support deliver centimeter-level positioning and orientation accuracy. Controlled by an onboard industrial controller operating on a real-time operating system, the system automatically navigates the crawler to each target location, aligns the mast, and drives piles to specified elevation and plumb tolerances without requiring personnel near the mast. The underlying stack builds on Xpanner's PD10 platform, which has been deployed across more than 67 U.S. job sites by major engineering, procurement, and construction contractors. Integrated on the Everstar R6 carrier, the X1 achieves a 45% faster cycle time compared to the previous generation, according to the company. Machine specs and hydraulic capacity Powered by a 130 horsepower engine operating at a maximum hydraulic pressure of 2,900 psi and a flow rate of 31.7 gallons per minute, the crawler features a high-frequency hydraulic hammer delivering up to 929 foot-pounds of impact energy. The hammer utilizes a 3.35-inch borer pole with three energy settings to adjust for varying soil resistance and geotechnical conditions. To eliminate unnecessary machine movement on site, the carrier features fine-positioning capabilities. The guide rail slides 11.8 inches fore and aft, 19.7 inches laterally, and offers 180 degrees of upper-body rotation. The mast adjusts 10 degrees forward and backward, with a side tilt range from 7 degrees left to 64 degrees right, allowing operators to achieve target placement from a single setup position. The system accommodates pile lengths up to 23 feet with a maximum driving depth of 15.7 feet. Because the hammer lowers near ground level and the guide rail plants vertically into the dirt during operation, the unit can drive piles flush to grade without adapters, handling standard tracker piles, short motor piles, and lower-profile BESS foundation piles on the same carrier chassis. Optional mast configurations support down-the-hole drilling, auger drilling (2.6 to 13.8 inches in diameter), and ground screwing. * Operating weight: 14,330 lb (6,500 kg) * Transport dimensions (L x W x H): 12.1 x 7.1 x 8.9 ft (3,700 x 2,150 x 2,700 mm) * Engine output: 130 hp (97 kW) * Hammer impact energy: 929 ft·lb (1,260 J) * Max pile length and driving depth: 23.0 ft length; 15.7 ft depth * Max travel speed and gradeability: > 1.6 mph (> 2.5 km/h); 20° gradeability * Tank capacities: 43.6 gal diesel; 38.6 gal hydraulic oil "Solar and BESS builders are racing to bring new power online for the grid and for AI data centers, and they can't find enough skilled crews to keep up," said Henri Lee, co-founder and CEO of Xpanner. "X1 lets one operator drive every pile plumb with a single touch, keeps people away from the mast, and logs each pile as it goes in." Field controller hardware and cloud telemetry On-site machine interaction relies on a 10.1-inch, sunlight-readable touch display built to handle extreme job site conditions, weather, and heavy vibration. The system is designed to operate reliably across extreme temperatures ranging from -40°F to 185°F. The hardware connects to Xpanner Connect, a web-based project management dashboard that logs spatial coordinates, driving depth, and plumb status for each driven pile in real time. The live site map eliminates manual end-of-day reporting, offering remote fleet visibility into machine state, cycle metrics, and site progress. The X1 Piling R6 is commercially available starting October 26, 2026, through an Automation-as-a-Service subscription model that bundles the crawler chassis, automation hardware, cloud software, site validation, and direct on-site support. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. 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Xpanner debuts its X1 panel lift, an intelligent automation system for solar panels. August 6, 2026 Xpanner's new X1 solar panel lift system automates repetitive panel handling so installation crews can focus on alignment, fastening and quality. The X1 Panel Lift is an intelligent, excavator-based panel installation system created to address one of the solar industry's most persistent limitations: the availability of skilled labour. The platform, previously deployed on pile drivers for solar piling applications, has now been expanded to automate panel lifting and placement. Utility-scale solar projects depend on large crews to manually carry, position and place heavy panels across thousands of module locations. The work is physically demanding and requires ongoing training to meet project timelines. The X1 Panel Lift is designed to tackle repetitive material handling directly, allowing installation crews to spend their time on the higher-value work of aligning, fastening and quality-checking each panel. "Solar installation has long been held back by its dependence on large skilled crews and complex equipment setups," said Henri Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Xpanner. "Our solution changes that equation entirely, and now handles not just solar piling, but panel lifting as well. One machine, one button, one workflow, any operator can run it from day one." The X1 Panel Lift transports the PV panel box, picks panels directly from it and installs them using a single excavator, without the need for separate feeder equipment such as a compact track loader or forklift. By combining panel transport, pick and placement into one machine, X1 reduces equipment requirements and specialized roles a project needs to stay productive. One button workflow. Its one-button automated workflow guides the operator through the full installation sequence, pick-up, lifting, placement and pre-release, through a visual interface. X1 automates repetitive panel handling while keeping the operator in full control through a simple remote interface. Rather than replacing the installer, the system assists the crew with automated vacuum handling and assisted panel positioning, while the built-in Precision Align Assist helps ensure consistent, uniform panel placement across every cycle. Sensor-controlled handling is designed to maintain the same precision and pace from the first panel to the last, and a standardized installation sequence with audible and visual cues helps crews follow a repeatable process on every job. The system's remote operation keeps personnel clear of the load path during lifts, and its standardized, sensor-guided sequence is intended to make each installation cycle more predictable and controlled. The X1 is powered by Mango, Xpanner's proprietary automation controller built for real-time decision-making and precision control across hydraulic, electric and mechanical systems. The system fuses data from LIDAR, vision and GNSS sensors to build a live 3D model of the jobsite, giving it the situational awareness needed to hold consistent output across variable field conditions. Xpanner's automation software and sensing stack sits on top of a standard excavator. The company plans to extend the same architecture to additional jobsite workflows over time, delivering new capabilities to existing customers through software updates rather than new equipment requirements. Xpanner offers the X1 Panel Lift under a single, all-inclusive subscription that covers hardware, the X1 kit and license, Xpanner Connect software and on-site field operations support (XFO). The subscription includes Xpanner Connect, a real-time dashboard that gives project managers live visibility into machine status, production progress and fleet activity.