The show is largely focused on the on-road segment, so Volvo Trucks and Volvo Penta have participated for years. But lately, Volvo Construction Equipment has grown its presence alongside its Volvo Group colleagues to demonstrate innovations in off-road transformation as well.
At last year's ACT Expo, Volvo CE announced it was bringing its EC230 Electric excavator to North America for pilot testing. At this year’s show in Las Vegas, the Volvo CE team shared results from those pilot projects, announced that the EC230 Electric is now commercially available in North America and introduced two new charging units.
“It’s an exciting time in the off-road segment as this transformation starts to gain traction,” said Dr. Ray Gallant, Vice President — Sustainability and Productivity Services at Volvo CE. “Collaborating with our on-road focused colleagues has helped us accelerate the transition in thoughtful and significant ways.”
The 23-ton EC230 Electric excavator represents a step up in size for electric heavy equipment, with most machines on the market today being compact models. Results from the pilot tests include:
In another 90-day pilot in California, this time collaborating with Sunbelt Rentals, the electric excavator delivered an 80% carbon reduction rate and 83% cost savings in comparison to its diesel equivalent.
During a press event at ACT Expo, Gallant spoke about the three steps needed to transform a market with a new innovation. The first is proving its performance, like the recent EC230 Electric pilot tests and the years of results from Volvo CE compact electric machines.
The second step is to ensure the support infrastructure is in place. To demonstrate progress on that, Volvo CE announced two new partnerships on charging products. These were with Portable Electric for a Level 2 portable charging unit for compact equipment and Utility Innovation Group (UIG) for high-power DC portable charging. Those units were on display at the show along with the EC230 Electric, an EC18 Electric compact excavator and additional charging solutions.
And the third step, according to Gallant, is to learn and develop applications where battery-electric machines are a better fit than internal combustion units thanks to their unique features.
“The most prominent benefits of electric machines are the elimination of emissions and the significant reduction in noise and vibration,” he said. “We are seeing this equipment do well in a wide variety of applications where these benefits are really appreciated. Early adopters have brought us many unique opportunities and solutions.”
Beyond traditional construction applications, Volvo compact electric machines have been used in indoor demolition, agricultural and food production settings, landscaping, zoos, wineries, ski resorts and more.
Appearing at the show alongside Volvo Group counterparts and charging solution partners made it clear that Volvo CE will maintain a strong emphasis on collaboration to advance the zero-emission transformation.
“We know that the transportation sector understands the vision for electrification, which makes this show a great place to get the word out about other industries that can benefit from the same technologies,” said Gallant. “The only way we will reach these goals is by working together.”
Learn more about the transition to electric equipment by visiting the explore the power of Volvo electric equipment page on our website.
In Florida, USA, Coastal Waste & Recycling is using a 23-ton Volvo EC230 Electric to process up to 100 tons of construction and demolition debris and green waste each hour. Watch how it performs and what operators think about the new electric excavator.
Emterra Group is one of the first Canadian customers to test the Volvo EC230 Electric mid-size excavator at a waste transfer station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Hear what their managers and operator think about its performance and potential to transform their entire yellow iron fleet.
Marketing Communications
Volvo Construction Equipment North America
greggh@2rm.com
515-557-2233
Corporate Communications
Volvo Construction Equipment North America
dave.foster@volvo.com
717-300-6104
