Volvo Construction Equipment’s drive to electromobility continues to expand with the opportunity for customers in North America to prebook the ECR25 electric Excavator and L25 electric Wheel Loader starting Aug.19. Customers who sign up will be one step closer to taking advantage of these zero-exhaust, low-noise machines to get tough work done while meeting a growing number of environmental regulations.
“Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have already signed on to have 100% of all new medium- and heavy-duty Truck sales be emissions-free by 2050,” said Ray Gallant, vice president, sales support, Volvo CE. “As more and more states set targets for on-road Vehicles, the construction industry is preparing to follow suit. As part of the Volvo Group, which includes Volvo Trucks, we are uniquely positioned to be able to draw upon this collective expertise to bring this technology to the construction industry.”
Expanding the customer base
The prebooking tool will be made available to customers in the U.S. and Canada, expanding the successful launch earlier in the year to key European markets. By signing up, customers can reserve a place in the production queue for the ECR25 and L25 electric machines. Afterward, they will be alerted if they have been selected to complete an order for the machines. The first deliveries of production machines are expected in June 2021.
Customer pilots, like the grant administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in California, will be underway throughout Q4 2020 and into Q1 2021.
“These machines are designed for any state or local government fleet that has set or is anticipated to set electric Vehicle targets or clean air regulations,” Gallant added. “They are also ideal for companies with aggressive sustainability targets and those that need equipment to operate in low-noise or zero-emissions environments.”
Utilizing an easier, safer e-commerce solution
Those selected to order one of the electric machines will use Volvo Group’s first machine retail e-commerce tool to process their order — a shift in the equipment purchasing experience that could have broader potential in the future. The online portal will also allow local dealers to follow through with customer support. Volvo Financial Services, the global financial services provider for the Volvo Group, will support the purchase of these electric machines by offering flexible finance solutions — more information on pricing and financing solutions will be available in the coming weeks.
The North American prebooking site will be live on Aug. 19 at volvoce.com/electromobility/prebook. Those looking for a reminder as the date approaches can complete this electromobility prebooking notification form.
About the ECR25 and L25 electric models
The electric ECR25 excavator and L25 Wheel Loader have significantly lower noise levels, reduced energy costs, improved efficiency, and fewer maintenance requirements compared with their conventional counterparts.
The ECR25 mini excavator is fitted with lithium-ion batteries and one electric motor that replaces the diesel engine to power the hydraulics in order to move the machine and attachment. The machine’s batteries store enough electric energy to power the ECR25 for up to eight hours in its most common applications, such as utility work.
The L25 compact wheel loader also uses lithium-ion batteries, which allow for up to eight hours of operation in the machine’s regular applications, including light infrastructure work, gardening, landscaping, and agriculture. The L25 loader also incorporates two dedicated electric motors, one for the drivetrain and one for the hydraulics. Decoupling the subsystems has led to higher efficiency in both the systems and the entire machine.
Both the ECR25 and L25 have onboard chargers that enable overnight charging adaptable to conventional household electrical systems. In addition, an off-board fast charger could be used to charge both machines and would require a three-phase outlet. With the fast-charge options, the ECR25 can be at 80 percent power within one hour of charge time, and the L25 within two hours of charge time. These models have performance levels similar to their conventional diesel equivalents so that customers will get the same performance in more efficient, environmentally friendly machines.
To be one of the first to operate these new electric machines, customers can save the prebooking site address, volvoce.com/electromobility/prebook, and sign up on Aug. 19.
