Volvo CE Awarded $2 Million Grant to Test its Electric Construction Machines in California
Volvo Construction Equipment was awarded a $2 million grant for a commercial pilot of the company’s electric, zero emission excavator and electric wheel loader in California. The grant, administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program, which helps agencies develop plans and conduct projects to reduce air pollution in areas with the highest level of smog and soot in the United States. South Coast AQMD is responsible for attaining state and federal standards by improving air quality in the South Coast Air Basin of California. Volvo CE will invest another $1.5 million on top of the awarded amount, which will raise the total project amount to $3.5 million.
The grant aims to accelerate the deployment of zero emission technologies for off-road mobile equipment, which is one of the major contributors to nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the South Coast Air Basin. The South Coast AQMD region includes Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including the Coachella Valley.
“Off-Road Construction equipment accounts for 43 tons per day of NOx emissions in the South Coast Air Basin,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer for South Coast AQMD. “We look forward to working with Volvo as they pave the way for the development of zero emission technologies in this sector.”
Volvo CE’s electric compact ECR25 excavator and L25 wheel loader are currently being developed and tested in Europe. Volvo CE will adapt some configurations previously developed for the European program and demonstrate the machines in real-life applications for a minimum of six months in California. Tests will start during the second half of this year – September for the excavator and December for the wheel loader. Three customers in the South Coast Air Basin area will be selected to test the machines. The results of these demonstrations, together with customer feedback, will be reported to South Coast AQMD.
“We are honored to be awarded this grant. It is a recognition of Volvo CE’s commitment to building a more sustainable future,” said Stephen Roy, senior vice president for the Americas, Volvo CE. “We are also excited for the opportunity to bring these prototypes to our customers in the U.S. after our big success with customers in Europe, and show that these machines are not only key tools to reduce emissions, they are also great for business, as they deliver low noise levels, high efficiency and reduced energy costs.”
Before arriving on test sites, the two electric prototypes were displayed in March at the Conexpo 2020 tradeshow in Las Vegas.
Volvo CE was the first construction equipment manufacturer to announce the production of entire ranges of electric compact excavators and wheel loaders to replace their diesel engine-based models. Last year at the bauma tradeshow, in Germany, the company launched both the ECR25 excavator and the L25 loader prototypes.
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.