Volvo Construction Equipment Corporation (Volvo CE) has introduced three new electric compact equipment models. L20 Electric, EC18 Electric and ECR18 Electric models can now be ordered online, with delivery expected in 2022.

L20 Electric is a compact wheel loader, located under the marketed L25 Electric. It has a payload of 1.8 tons and a parallel lifting mast-making the electric wheel loader suitable for forklift applications. There are two battery packs to choose from (33 or 40 kWh), the latter is said to provide up to 6 hours of active work.

Two compact excavators EC18 Electric and ECR18 Electric complete the product series below ECR25 Electric. Both excavators are in the 1.8-ton class. Although the robust ECR18 Electric with a short back radius is designed for confined spaces, EC18 Electric is more flexible. It has a variable landing gear that can retract to less than 1 meter and extend to 1.35 meters, allowing it to maneuver in the narrowest space. Volvo said that the corners of the frame, the boom and the cylinder are also kept within the width of the track.

It is said that all compact electric models provide customers with the performance they are accustomed to diesel models, but are quieter and have less vibration during operation. The factory-installed car charger can fully charge the battery in less than 6 hours. There is also an optional external fast charger that can charge the L20 Electric battery to 80% in less than two hours; for two compact excavators, Volvo Construction Equipment quoted a charging time of 1.25 hours. However, the details of the fast charging system were not disclosed in the announcement.

"In the near future," customers of all five electric models (that is, the 2.5-ton excavators that have already been launched) will be able to use the new fleet management system. "Motor Management Application", referred to as "EMMA", will centrally display key data such as battery power, remaining work or charging time, and help customers increase uptime.

The three new models are "Volvo's construction equipment industry's first commitment to shift its Volvo-branded compact wheel loaders and compact excavator series to electric and stop the development of new diesel engine models," the Swedish company said. Volvo Construction Equipment announced earlier in 2019 that it would use electric instead of diesel for its compact machines.

Melker Jernberg, President of Volvo Construction Equipment, said: "As a manufacturer with the world's largest series of motors, we are proud to lead our industry against climate change. "We are not only more sustainable. The way of working provides real-world solutions, and we add more motivation to our customers’ businesses through the widest range of choices possible to best meet their needs. "

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