Volvo Construction Equipment?s (Volvo CE) electric compact excavator prototype, the EX2, has won equipment and machinery award at the INTERMAT Innovation Awards in the earthmoving and demolition category
The concept machine aims to deliver zero emissions, 10 times higher efficiency, 10 times lower noise levels and reduced total cost of ownership compared to its conventional counterparts, according to Volvo.
Volvo CE's EX2 is considered to be the world?s first fully-electric compact excavator prototype. The company mentioned that at this stage, the EX2 is part of a research project and it is not commercially available.
Ahce?ne Nedjimi, electromobility specialist and EX2 project leader at Volvo CE, said that the electrification of construction equipment is expected to produce cleaner and more efficient machines.
According to Volvo CE, to make the EX2 prototype fully electric, the combustion engine has been replaced with two lithium-ion batteries, totalling 38KWh, which store electric energy to operate the machine for eight hours in an intense application. The hydraulic architecture has also been replaced with electric architecture, aiming to incorporate electromechanical linear actuators that help optimise the transmission chain.
?With its zero emissions and ten times lower noise levels, the EX2 could be used in densely populated areas without disturbing people, even at night,? said Nedjimi.
?The EX2 can be controlled remotely from a mobile phone or tablet. This increases safety in hazardous working environments. Additionally, the EX2 delivers the same power and force as its conventional counterpart, as well as faster speeds in combined movements,? Nedjimi added.
The INTERMAT 2018 Innovation Awards honour equipment, techniques, services, products and solutions that contribute towards progress in the construction and infrastructure industry. The judging panel consisted of 13 industry specialists who selected the top nine submissions to receive awards out of 90 entries from leading manufacturers.
