(Image Credit: Volvo Construction Equipment)Volvo Construction Equipment along with their customer Skanska have been testing the electrification of each transport stage in a Swedish quarry over the past 10 weeks. The two companies report significant reductions in energy cost, operator cost, and carbon emissions from the project.
Called the Electric Site research project, Volvo CE deployed their prototype electric and autonomous machines at Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry near Gothenburg in Sweden. The project called for electrifying stages such as excavation, primary crushing, transport, and secondary crushing. It also incorporated new work methods, site management systems, and technology that provides machine and fleet control systems and logistic solutions at a quarry, the companies say.
“With climate change reshaping our industry, we need to find new, sustainable solutions and build partnerships with organizations that have different competencies,” said Anders Danielsson, president and CEO of Skanska. “Our ambition is that this collaboration with Volvo CE will help us and our customers to reduce our carbon footprint.”
The $22.34 million project has been three years in development. Initially, Volvo SE and Skanska projected that their project would reduce the total cost of ownership by 25% tops, and reduce carbon emissions by up to 95%. The final results from the 10-week demonstration were higher: a 70% reduction in energy cost, a 40% reduction in operator cost, and a 98% reduction in carbon emissions.
Eight Volvo SE HX2 autonomous battery-electric load carriers were used at the quarry to transport material from the primary mobile crusher to the secondary static one. Introduced last year, these second-gen prototypes have a lithium-ion battery to power the two electric motors that drive the machine, and the hydraulics are driven by an additional electric motor.
The project used Volvo SE’s LX1 prototype electric hybrid wheel loader, which the company says delivered more than a 50% improvement in fuel efficiency at the quarry, as well as significant reductions in emissions and noise pollution, compared to its conventional counterparts.
In addition, the EX1 70-ton, dual-powered, cable-connected excavator prototype loaded the primary crusher at the quarry, Volvo SE noted. Operated just like a conventional Volvo excavator, the EX1 automatically starts in electric mode when its cable is connected to the grid. If the cable isn’t connected, the machine starts in diesel mode.
“With this research project we are combining intelligent machines, automation and electro-mobility to challenge traditional ways of working in the quarrying industry and explore new alternatives,” said Melker Jernberg, president of Volvo CE. He added that now the company plans to work on making the technologies involved and the reliability of the project concept more mature.
