Construction equipment manufacturers are embracing electric power. Almost every major construction equipment manufacturer has electric vehicles (EVs) in their current product catalog.
Some of this is driven by corporate decisions to decrease the negative impact when it comes to climate change and pollution, and some of it is driven to help their customers be more productive and profitable.
EVs don’t produce any local emissions, so you can run them indoors where they replace manual labor, thereby increasing productivity. They also produce less noise, so they can be used in noise-restricted environments. And, since they can be used in more applications, owners of electric-powered construction equipment will be able to work on more and more diverse projects.
1. DEMOING EVS
Casper Company, a concrete and demolition contractor based out of Spring Valley, Calif., owns six EVs—a fleet of Sherpa stand-behind skid steer loaders and Brokk radio remote control demolition machines—and for three months they demoed the Volvo L25 Electric compact wheel loader and the Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator.
The L25 Electric features the newest Li-ion battery 48V technology with 39 kWh capacity. It is powerful. It provides a peak electric motor driveline of 48 hp and a peak electric motor working hydraulics of 43 hp. It features a breakout force of 12,252 pounds and a maximum travel speed of 10 mph.
The ECR25 Electric is a zero-tail-swing machine that features a battery voltage of 48 V, a battery capacity of 20 kWh, and a peak electric motor of 24 hp. It has a maximum dump height of nine feet, eight inches (with the optional long arm) and a maximum dig depth of nine feet, one inch (with the optional long arm), and features a breakout force of 5,020 lb.-ft.
“We used them in pretty much every application we regularly perform,” says Casper Company Equipment Demolition Superintendent, Darrell Merritt. “We used them in excavation applications, fitted the excavator with a hydraulic breaker, cutting out the concrete with the loader, truck loading, grading, underground work to all things demolition.”
There are only a few differences between owning and operating the electric version of these machines compared to their diesel counterparts. Both the electric and diesel versions can perform all the same functions and run all the same attachments without seeing a change in performance.
2. SCHEDULING WORK
However, the first major difference is the recharging schedule of these vehicles, which can limit how much work they perform and impact your schedule.
“We got five to six hours of use out of the machines,” says Merritt. “And, every night we transferred them back to our yard for charging.”
The L25 has an indicative runtime of up to eight hours (depending on application) and an off-board charging time of about two hours. The ECR25 has an indicative runtime of up to four hours (depending on application) and can reach 80 percent of a full charge in 50 minutes (both using the 400 VAC 32A charging system).
“Toward the end of the three-month trial, we hooked up a tow-behind battery, and then got eight hours of work from them,” says Merritt.
The onboard charging time for the L25 is about 12 hours and the onboard charging time for the ECR25 is about five hours (both with the 230 VAC 16A recharging system).
3. DECREASED MAINTENANCE
The second major difference when owning EVs is the decreased maintenance. “We experienced no maintenance issues during the trial,” says Merritt.
An electric engine has fewer components than a diesel engine, which means there is less to go wrong and less that needs servicing. There are no oil changes, no filter changes, and no diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
Also, operators won’t accidentally put diesel in the DEF tank or DEF in the diesel tank since there are no tanks.
4. CLEAN ENERGY TIMES TWO
Electric energy is clean in two ways; it’s better for the environment (depending on the energy source) and it is always free from contamination.
With EVs, you don’t need to place orders for and then store large quantities of fuel for your fleet. And, you don’t have to worry about that fuel getting contaminated or ensuring it stays at the correct temperature.
Electric energy is always free from contamination, and it will never be wasted due to spoilage.
5. PLAN FOR FEWER WORKERS
Since a lot of EVs can work indoors and in other spaces that diesel machines can’t work, these machines are often replacing manual labor.
“Our jobs demand EVs,” says Merritt. “We work underground and inside buildings that are occupied, so diesel machines aren’t an option. In these cases, we often work by hand, but there is a huge gain in productivity by using an EV. An application that takes one hour by hand, we can complete in just 20 minutes with an electric machine.”
CONCLUSION
The Volvo L25 Electric and ECR25 Electric were demoed by not just Casper Company, but three other companies in various applications in different climates across the US; the machines are expected to be available next year.
“Casper wants to be a leader in the future of EVs and when the Volvo electric models become available, we look forward to being the first to get one,” says Merritt.
About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.
About CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Held every three years, CONEXPO-CON/AGG is the must-attend event for construction industry professionals. The show features the latest equipment, products, services, and technologies for the construction industry, as well as industry-leading education. The next CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held March 14-18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information on CONEXPO-CON/AGG, visit https://www.conexpoconagg.com.