revolution
ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION
iVTInternational.com November 2019 19
In France, an electric revolution is
afoot. Volvo CE, which demonstrated
an all-electric quarrying ecosystem in
Sweden, developed the EX2 prototype
electric excavator with French government
sponsorship. e EX2’s success con rmed
Volvo CE’s long-term vision for
electromobility and it now stands poised to
launch the rst machines in a compact
electric production range: the L25 Electric
wheel loader and ECR25 Electric excavator,
based on the EX2, which debuted at the
2019 Chelsea Flower Show. Meanwhile,
homegrown French manufacturer Mecalac
are eld-testing the e12, an electric edit of
the versatile 9-tonne 12MTX articulated
wheeled excavator. Both rms are grappling
to optimise the machine architectures and
battery solutions, o en pragmatically
tailored to machine application. Both are
involved in complex calculations around
ownership and net environmental costs,
each with shi ing variables. From 2020,
both will bring machines to a zero-emissions
urban market advancing now in Paris.
“ e EX2 represents our highest degree
of electri cation,” says Volvo CE
electromobility expert Ahcène Nedjimi. “In
mid-2020, we will launch our electric
machines and end diesel-engine
development on those models, making
every new compact project electric in order
to create this new market.”
/iVTInternational.com
