Volvo Construction Equipment recently unveiled two zero-emission electric compact machines – the ECR25 excavator and the L25 wheel loader, at the Bauma show in Germany.

These machines are the first to be shown from a new electric range of Volvo-branded compact excavators and compact wheel loaders. Volvo claims that they have zero exhaust emissions, significantly lower noise levels, reduced energy costs, improved efficiency and fewer maintenance requirements compared to their conventional counterparts.

Volvo CE says that it will begin to launch its range of electric compact excavators (EC15 to EC27) and wheel loaders (L20 to L28) from mid-2020. The move to electric machines will see the stopping of new diesel engine-based development of these models.

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In order to manufacture these machines electrically, the combustion engines have been replaced with lithium-ion batteries. The L25 wheel loader is powered by lithium-ion batteries which allow for eight hours of operation for general work. The L25 also has two electric motors, one for the drivetrain and one for the hydraulics.

The ECR25 compact excavator is also fitted with lithium-ion batteries and one electric motor which powers the hydraulics in order to move the machine and the attachment. The machine’s batteries store enough electric energy to power the ECR25 for eight hours.

Both the L25 and ECR25 have on-board chargers that allow for overnight charging via a regular household plug socket.

Volvo L25 Electric

  • Runtime: Up to eight hours.
  • Off-board fast charging: 80% recharge in two hours.
  • On-board 230 VAC charger: 12-hour recharge.
  • Weight: 4.9t.
  • Tipping load: 3.35t full-turn tipping load.