Volvo CE taking orders for e-construction vehicles
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is now accepting advance orders for its electric construction equipment, specifically for the ECR25 Electric compact excavator and the L25 Electric compact wheel loader.
Registrations can be made via a new online site that has now been opened in the key markets of Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Norway, and will be extended to other markets in the near future. Through this portal, customers can secure a place on the production waiting list for the electric construction machines and will be notified if they have been selected to order the machines, which will be launched in the summer.
According to Melker Jernberg, President of Volvo CE, there is “no better time” for the launch of the online sales platform than the market launch of the electric construction machines. “We are always looking for ways to improve the customer experience, streamline our processes and take advantage of new technologies,” says Jernberg. “We look forward to receiving feedback from our customers.”
The start of advance sales of the two electric models is to be accompanied this week by a campaign “highlighting the numerous social benefits of the technology”. The “More Silence” campaign will focus on reducing harmful noise levels, which Volvo CE sees as “one of the most important – and sometimes overlooked – benefits of electric construction equipment”. “When people talk about harmful emissions, they usually only talk about CO2,” says Jernberg. But research shows that noise is also very important.
The ECR25 Electric is driven by an electric machine with 30 kW (peak). The 20 kWh battery (48-Volt) is said to allow a running time of up to 4 hours. The charging time at a household socket (230 Volt) varies between 5 hours at 16 Ampere and up to 10 hours at 8 Ampere. At 400 volts (32 A), charging to 80 per cent takes only 50 minutes.
The L25 Electric, on the other hand, is driven by an electric motor with 36 kW (peak). The electric motor for the working hydraulics has a peak output of 32 kW. The 39 kWh battery (48 Volt) should be sufficient for a working time of up to 8 hours. The charging time at a household socket (230 volts) varies between 12 hours at 16 amps and up to 20 hours at 8 amps. At 400 Volt (32 A) the charging process takes about 2 hours.
Other companies have also emphasised the quiet operation. “The electrified mini excavator is particularly suitable for cities with high exhaust and noise pollution, but also for construction work in residential areas, near hospitals or when work has to be done at night,” said Ecovolta managing director Pirmin Reichmuth when announcing his electric mini excavator in January 2020.
Volvo CE announced in January 2019 that it would also be offering the EC15 to EC27 compact excavators and the L20 to L28 wheel loaders with electric drive – Volvo CE has not specified a timetable for the variants announced at the time in the current press release. The focus on electrification was not only in line with the overall strategic direction of the Volvo Group, but also because of the positive customer feedback, it was said at the time. At the same time, Volvo CE intends to push ahead with electrification with caution. For very large machines, the company still considers diesel to be the best energy source.
With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany,
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