[VIDEO] First Volvo Electric Excavator Digs at Paris Golf Course

Aug. 23, 2019

Spac is using a Volvo ECR25 2.5-ton excavator to dig trenches at the Saint-Nom-la-Breteche golf course outside of Paris. The company is using the all-electric machine as part of Volvo's field testing. 

The ECR25 replaces a combustion engine with 48-volt lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor that powers hydraulics to move the machine and attachments. The batteries store enough energy to power the machine for eight hours in typical applications, says Volvo. An onboard charger also enables overnight charging via a household plug socket, says Volvo.

Alexandre Birot, machine operator for Spac, said in a press release, “When we talk to the guy in the trench we don’t have to yell, we talk normally and he can hear everything. With a traditional excavator we first have to turn the engine off for him to be able to hear. What’s more, when we spend the whole day in the trench, usually he would inhale a lot of fumes but now there’s no exhaust gas for him to inhale”

The Volvo ERC25 Electric will be available in selected markets in mid-2020.

Source: Volvo CE