Volvo to launch electric range in 2020

Volvo Construction Equipment has announced its decision to launch a range of Volvo branded electric compact wheel loaders and compact excavators by next year, as part of the company’s commitment to a cleaner, greener future.

The range will include its EC15 to EC27 compact excavators and L20 to L28 wheel loaders. Once the new units are launched by mid-2020, Volvo CE will cease diesel engine-based development of these models.

The announcement follows a series of successful trials of Volvo CE's electric machinery in recent years, including the EX2 compact excavator and LX2 compact wheel loader.

The trials have returned overwhelmingly positive results, with the prototype electric units emitting zero emissions and were significantly quieter than their diesel engine counterparts.

With the announcement, Volvo CE claimed it is the first construction equipment manufacturer to commit to an electric future for its compact machine range.

The first machines will be unveiled at the Bauma exhibition in Germany in April 2019, followed by a staged market-by-market introduction and ramp up in 2020.

“Volvo CE is delivering on its commitment of ‘Building Tomorrow’ by driving leadership in electromobility and delivering sustainable solutions that support customer success,” said Volvo CE President, Melker Jernberg.

“The technology we have been developing is now sufficiently robust and this, together with changes in customer behaviour and a heightened regulatory environment, means that now is the right time to commit to electromobility in our compact equipment ranges in the future.”

However, at this point in time, Volvo CE still deems diesel combustion the most appropriate power source for its larger machines.

The company will be releasing further information on its electric compact equipment range in the coming months.