Unicon & Volvo Trucks collaborate on electric concrete mixers
The Danish concrete manufacturer Unicon has ordered eleven Volvo FM Electric trucks from Volvo Trucks, which will be converted into concrete mixers and used in Denmark. In the future, the two companies aim to develop customised electric truck solutions for the concrete industry.
According to Volvo Trucks, the eleven converted FM Electric will be delivered by the end of the year. The FM Electric is the largest model from the Swedish company with a gross weight of up to 44 tonnes. The chassis can be ordered in 4×2, 6×2, 6×4, 8×2 and 8×4 variants, and the batteries are between 450 and 540 kWh. As production of the FM Electric is not due to start until the second half of 2022, Unicon will be one of the first customers if it takes delivery this year.
Unicon is already using a converted FE Electric – pictured above in the article image. The FE Electric is a 27-tonne truck with up to 300 kWh batteries.
In addition, Unicon and Volvo Trucks have agreed on a long-term collaboration to develop and implement complete electric truck and body solutions for the concrete industry.
“With this major order and ambitious collaboration agreement, we are putting tangible actions behind our CO2 emission targets for our distribution,” says Christian Elleby, Supply Chain & Procurement Director at Unicon. “With the new electric truck mixers, we are ready to support the requirements for emission-free construction sites in Denmark, which we see from the City of Copenhagen, as well as an increasing number of contractors and builders.”
Unicon is the largest producer and supplier of ready-mixed concrete in Denmark. The company employs more than 400 people in its 35 factories. Annual production is around one million cubic metres, transported to construction sites by 195 trucks. The truck mixer fleet is to be emission-free by 2035. Unicon is part of the Aalborg Portland Group, owned by the Italian Cementir Holding.
“With these agreements, we are taking important steps in expanding fossil-free distribution solutions to the concrete industry, where electrification of heavy vehicles has been a very difficult challenge due to the heavy loads and continuous mixing demands,” said Peter Ericson, managing director of Volvo Trucks in Denmark. “We expect a lot of learning and development as a result of the collaboration for the benefit of an entire industry,” he added.
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