VOLVO DAYS

Taking place in Eskilstuna, Sweden, Volvo Days was the first major showcase since the company moved into its new corporate headquarters in August last year, and Awesome Earthmovers was invited along with many of the world’s press for an exclusive look at Volvo CE’s new generation of innovative excavators, including its first electric wheeled excavator. We also got a sneak peek at the all-new A40 articulated hauler coming later in the year.

Melker Jernberg, Head of Volvo CE, described Volvo Days 2024 as a landmark event to unveil the manufacturer’s most ambitious and biggest product line-up of both conventional and electric products it has ever done, and we can certainly testify to that, having spent a couple of days there ahead of it being opened up to customers from around the globe.

We were among the first to see new EC500, EC400 and EC230 crawler excavators in action on the Volvo CE demonstration site. Equipped with intelligent technology in a new electro-hydraulic system and improved human machine interface (HMI), we are told they are designed for increased fuel efficiency, productivity, safety, and total cost of ownership.

They boast a stylish operator environment that provides even more space and comfort. Better sealing ensures less dust passes inside the cab, while improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning secures a superior air circulation and a reduced risk of fatigue. Together with lower noise levels and built-in sunscreen, the operator experience is now more comfortable than ever.

Other features we noted that have been clearly designed with the operator in mind included a coolbox to store items and USB and Bluetooth connections to charge mobile phones, play music and aid on-site communication, in addition to a keyless engine start and an always-on camera.

Among a host of other efficiency-boosting features are a smart cooling system, engine speed regulation and engine pump optimization to further minimize energy consumption, as well as an auto power boost function to ensure an automatic setting of the system pressure.

The advanced electric control joysticks and fully electric travel pedals provide lightning-fast response times, while the swing control, bucket angle control and a tilt bucket and tiltrotator control all help the operator maintain a precise cutting angle with just the press of a button.

The opportunity to pre-set limits on the boom’s depth, height and swing ensures operators carry out their tasks to the highest possible standards of safety. This can help them to avoid overhead or underground hazards, such as power lines, pipes and cables, and walls or barriers – as well as, most importantly, any workers on site.

THREE ELECTRIFYING LAUNCHES

On top of a modernisation of its conventional offerings, Volvo CE is again delivering on its pledge to lead the industry transition towards fossil-fuel free construction with the introduction of several new electric machines. The L90 Electric and L120 Electric wheel loaders are scheduled for launch from late 2024 in limited volumes across selected markets including Europe, India, Asia, Latin America and North America.

With its 6 tonne lifting capacity, the 20 tonne L120 Electric wheel loader is capable of multiple applications ranging from construction sites, ports and logistic centres through to waste management and recycling, urban infrastructure maintenance and agriculture and forestry.

Across most light and medium duty tasks, it can work a full day of around 5-9 hours on a single charge, depending on the application and environment. When it does need to power up, it can charge from 10-100% in one hour 40 minutes with a 180 kW DC fast charger or Volvo’s PU500 mobile power unit, and in 7 hours with a 40 kW DC portable charger, suitable for overnight charging.

Available to select markets in Europe in 2025, the first electric wheel loader in its class, the 15-tonne L90 Electric is suitable for a wide range of jobs. These include industrial material handling, forestry, agriculture and landscaping, quarries and mining and waste and recycling.

Like the L120 Electric, it not only has dedicated electric motors for propulsion and hydraulics, enabling full available power to both systems, but enjoys a faster response and shorter cycle times than conventional models. For the L90 Electric, this is largely due to its Volvo-designed transmission, brand new and purpose-built for the electric platform, resulting in optimal energy efficiency.

The L90 Electric will last for approximately 4-5 hours of operation across most medium duty applications and a full working day in lighter applications. Also similar to its larger brother, the electric drive motor on the L90 Electric recuperates energy by acting as generators when decelerating, ensuring a longer runtime and brake life. It can charge 0-100% in about 70 minutes using a 150kW DC fast charger.

Of course, most work site managers will tell you that access to charging is one of the main challenges that needs to be solved to make the transition to electromobility easier and with that in mind, Volvo CE is launching a new solution to bring off-grid power for compact electric machines and other electrical equipment on worksites.

The Volvo PU40 is a mobile power unit with a capacity of 40kWh and will be available in Europe. It can be charged via a low (6kW AC) connection to the grid, helping to avoid peak demand costs. Alternatively, fast charging via a 17kW DC charger is available. Weighing around 900kg and measuring 1200 x 900 x 900 mm, the Volvo PU40 Power Unit is ideal for both mobile and stationary use. Its small size and weight make it easy to move around the site to wherever the machines are located.

FIRST SHORT TAIL ELECTRIC LOADER

During our time at Volvo Days we also learned that the manufacturer is planning to further expand its electric line-up with the first electric short tail wheeled excavator, the 15-tonne EWR150 Electric, which will be available from mid-2025 to select customers in Germany, France, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Featuring the shortest tail swing in its class, it is a compact solution for inner-city use and confined spaces. This multi-purpose machine, supported by a range of attachments, is designed for multiple applications across construction, road work, utility installation and landscaping. As a wheeled solution it can quickly relocate or move on to the next job site, bringing any required tools on a trailer, saving time and transport costs.

While other manufacturers provide converted electric options for this machine type, the EWR150 Electric comes from the factory – making it a significantly more energy efficient solution than its competitors, providing lower total cost of ownership. The state-of-the-art batteries are equipped with a thermo-management system to ensure they remain at the optimum temperature to deliver a long lifetime.

Energy recovery functions such as electric travelling enable a full day of work on a single charge. The electric Volvo wheeled excavator can then be powered overnight by simply connecting its integrated on-board charger (32 Ampere) to a wall socket or wallbox, or in about one hour with a range of optional fast chargers.

The EWR150 Electric has been built to provide premium comfort thanks to an improved cab – a benefit enjoyed as part of the new generation excavator design and an update compared to the diesel-powered EWR150E. It also enjoys more performance and versatility with extra reach, lifting capacity and minimised front swing radius.

All three electric models will benefit from the new My Equipment web-based app giving operators easy access to essential data on their connected equipment, on the go and from any device. It provides vital information on machine hours, status, location and power consumption. Launched primarily for electric machines, it provides real peace of mind for operators, or indeed anyone on site, needing to monitor battery charging status remotely – thanks also to notifications alerting them if there is a disruption to charging.

NEW RIGID HAULERS

Volvo CE also announced the addition of two new hauling options for quarrying and lite mining customers. As with its bigger 95-tonne brother, the R100, both the 55-tonne payload R60 and 65-tonne payload R70 rigid haulers are designed to help drive down total cost of ownership, as well as introducing the latest comfort and safety features.

While the R60 has a body volume of 36.04m³, the R70 offers 42.4m³. They may be smaller in size, but fans of the flagship R100 will see many of the same features and benefits of the latest E-generation in the new machines which are being made at Volvo CE’s Motherwell plant in Scotland, a site that for nearly 75 years has been the global heart of rigid hauler development.