Volvo Construction has announced that in 2020 it will start the launch of an electric range of Volvo-branded compact wheel loaders and compact excavators. In a pioneering commitment to future technology, Volvo CE announced that by mid-2020, it will begin to launch a range of electric compact excavators (EC15 to EC27) and wheel loaders (L20 to L28), stopping new diesel-engine-based development of these models.
With this move, Volvo CE is the first construction equipment manufacturer to commit to an electric future for its compact machine range. This follows an overwhelmingly favorable reaction from the market after the successful unveiling of a number of concept machines in recent years, and by working closely with customers. This move is aligned with the Volvo Group’s strategic focus on electrombility in all business areas.
The first machines will be unveiled at the Bauma exhibition in April 2019, followed by a staged market-by-market introduction and ramp up in 2020. While the company emphasizes that diesel combustion currently remains the most appropriate power source for its larger machines, electric propulsion and battery technology is proving particularly suited to Volvo’s smaller equipment. With research and development investment now focused on the rapid development of its electric compact wheel loaders and excavators. Volvo CE is taking a step towards diesel-free compact equipment in the future.
“Volvo CE is delivering on its commitment of ‘Building Tomorrow’ by driving leadership in electromobility and delivering sustainable solutions that support customer success,” said Volvo CE president Meler Jernberg. “The technology we have been developing is now sufficiently robust and this, together with changes in customer behavior and a heightened regulatory environment, means that now is the right time to commit to electromobility in our compact equipment ranges in the future.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.