Volvo releases first fully electric 20 tonne loader with on-site and off-grid charging unit

Volvo CE has launched a new range of heavy-duty fully-electric earthmoving machines that also feature a mobile charging unit which is capable of keeping the machines  in operation on construction sites that lack access to a grid connection.

Volvo CE says the L120 Electric is the first fully electric wheel loader to be launched in the market with a lifting capacity of 6 tonnes. The L120 weighs in at 20 tonnes and comes with a 237 kWh battery which Volvo CE says will keep it running for a full day while operating mostly light and medium duty tasks.

The charging time from 10 to 100 per cent takes 1 hour 40 mins with a 180 kW DC fast charger or the companies new PU500 mobile charger. On a 40 kW DC charger the loader will fully charge overnight in 7 hours.

“The construction industry is changing and we at Volvo CE do not want to just take part in the change, we want to lead it,” said Melker Jernberg, Head of Volvo CE, speaking at an event that also featured other electric innovations.

In addition to the 20 tonne L120 Electric, Volvo CE also released the smaller 15 tonne L90 Electric which has a 180 kWh battery and a lifting capacity of 4.5 tonnes.

Volvo launches innovative site charging solution

The new mobile charing unit is designed to provide on-site charging to the company’s growing range of all-electric earthmoving machines.

“Thanks to an integrated 17kW DC fast charger, the PU40 enables recharging of Volvo compact electric excavators in as little as an hour, or two hours in case of the Volvo compact electric wheel loaders,” said Filip Brkljaca, product manager for Charging Solutions at Volvo CE.

“It’s even possible to fast charge the compact electric machines whilst simultaneously slow charging the Power Unit. So, customers can recharge their machines quickly, safe in the knowledge that they are doing so in the most cost-effective way.”

Weighing around 900kg and measuring 1200 x 900 x 900 mm, the PU40 can be moved with a regular forklift and can be charged off a regular 6 kW AC outlet or via a 17 kW DC charger.

The PU40 follows the release of the much larger PU500 in January which is a container size on-site charging unit with 330-400 kWh of battery capacity.

Cleaner, quieter construction sites a game changer for workers and surrounding communities

The prospect of zero-emission heavy vehicles on construction sites represents a future of profound improvement in the health and wellbeing of millions of construction site workers and machinery operators who are exposed to high levels of dangerous diesel exhaust fumes on a daily basis.

Volvo CE’s first-to-market all-electric loaders and excavators will not only significantly reduce operating costs compared to machinery running on expensive diesel, they will also usher in a new era of quieter construction sites with vastly improved conditions for workers and surrounding communities.

The launch of heavy-duty battery electric earthmoving equipment is yet another major milestone in the clean technology industrial revolution and yet another nail in the coffin of 19th century diesel exhaust spewing machines.