This year, Volvo has introduced its first two electric construction machines to North America — a compact excavator and a compact wheel loader. Lars Arnold, production manager for Volvo CE North America, stands next to an electric wheel loader on display Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Pa.
Lars Arnold, production manager for Volvo CE North America, shows of the battery pack used to power an electric wheel loader. Volvo brought two of its electric construction vehicles, which were recently made available in the U.S., to Ag Progress Days.
Staff Reporter
This year, Volvo has introduced its first two electric construction machines to North America — a compact excavator and a compact wheel loader. Lars Arnold, production manager for Volvo CE North America, stands next to an electric wheel loader on display Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Pa.
ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — Lars Arnold believes the best mindset when it come to machinery powered solely by electricity is to be forgetful.
Forget about engine maintenance, oil changes and filling the tank with fuel.
“Everything related to a diesel engine is gone,” said Arnold, a product manager with Volvo Construction Equipment, North America.
Volvo unveiled two of its electric construction machines at Ag Progress Days, introducing the ag segment to the option of electric power over diesel.
Two models are available this year — an L25 electric compact wheel loader, and an ECR25 electric compact excavator — as Volvo expands its electric construction line into North America.
For Arnold, Ag Progress Days was the perfect place to showcase what electric machinery can do in construction and agriculture.
“Performance-wise, it’s the same as a diesel machine,” he said. “The spec sheets are exactly the same.”
The L25 compact wheel loader, for example, contains a 36-kilowatt power source for the drive train, which Arnold said is equivalent to a 49-horsepower diesel engine. The machine has the same tipping load, lifting capacity and dump height as a diesel machine of similar size, he added, but there are several differences.
Arnold said the electric machines are much quieter than diesel, and they run only when the operator moves the joystick, engaging the electric motors and hydraulic pumps. And even then, he added, the machine still operates quietly enough to allow the operator to communicate with anyone nearby.
Lars Arnold, production manager for Volvo CE North America, shows of the battery pack used to power an electric wheel loader. Volvo brought two of its electric construction vehicles, which were recently made available in the U.S., to Ag Progress Days.
The electric machines don’t idle like a diesel, reducing operating hours and eliminating emissions, which Arnold said provides versatility.
“If you’re working inside a building or tight space, there are no emissions to worry about,” he said. “If the job is near a hospital, school or early morning in the neighborhood, there’s no noise to disturb anyone in a sensitive job location.”
Depending on the work, the electric construction machines can run for four to six hours on a charge, and charging infrastructure is provided by a 240-volt plug-in, which is available in every home, according to Arnold. Six packs of lithium-ion batteries, each containing 6.6 kilowatts, can fully charge overnight.
“You just charge it up, unplug it in the morning and go to work. There’s no time spent warming up an engine,” Arnold said.
The electric machines tend to be slightly heavier than their diesel counterparts, and as a result provide better stability.
“These machines will hold up and perform the tough jobs in construction or an agriculture setting,” Arnold said. “We have four electric loaders on a large dairy farm in Idaho, and we just delivered the first compact excavator to a farm in Connecticut. You’re doing the same things, just differently.”
Despite the attributes, there are potential hurdles in the way of electric machinery making inroads in North America. Volvo launched its electric line in Europe in 2020, and Arnold said it’s been a successful endeavor. He thinks North America will embrace the technology as well, but it will take time.
“The main thing is a change in mindset. We’re so used to fuel and oil,” Arnold said. “It is a big change for consumers, and three years ago I think they’d be much more reluctant about this. But now, people see electric machinery and vehicles as inevitable, they know it’s the future and they are thinking about it.”
Price is perhaps the biggest factor, as an electric machine can cost twice as much as a diesel version, according to Arnold. An increase in battery capacity could change that, he said, and the cost of a kilowatt hour has decreased.
Battery performance is limited to a temperature range of 14 to 104 degrees, even though the machine will still operate when it’s colder.
Still, Arnold remains confident that American consumers will realize the benefits of electric, and that’s why Volvo is planning to put the 50,000-pound EC230 electric excavator on the North American market in 2024, and possibly other models of construction equipment.
“What I saw, when we introduced it in Europe, is if you have an open-minded person, they’ll see the benefits in front of them,” Arnold said. “It’s really about getting over the fear of the unknown and learning, and Ag Progress Days is perfect because there are a lot of people that can see these electric machines up close.”
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Staff Reporter
Tom Venesky is a staff reporter for Lancaster Farming. He can be reached at tvenesky@lancasterfarming.com
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