Lower operating costs and better for the planet: Swedish company's sleek construction EVs arrive in Singapore

Residents living near construction sites are often exposed to high levels of dust and noise pollution. Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) intends to improve their living environments with its range of electric construction machinery that promises to be cleaner, quieter and more cost-efficient, without sacrificing the performance of its diesel-powered counterparts.

The multinational heavy vehicle manufacturer launched three models from its electric vehicle (EV) construction range in Singapore on June 7 – the L25 Electric compact wheel loader, ECR25 Electric compact excavator and the EC55 Electric Excavator – to give builders an opportunity to phase out diesel-powered traditional equipment.

Volvo CE chose Singapore for its debut in Southeast Asia because of the country’s Green Plan, which entails ambitious plans of becoming more sustainable and carbon-neutral by 2030.

“Singapore is a natural market for electric construction machines with a strong focus on sustainability, efficiency, and safety in its construction industry,” says Mr Tomas Kuta, president of region asia for Volvo CE. “We are launching our first electric machines in Southeast Asia, and we believe it will act as a launchpad for further sales, both in Singapore and the wider regional market.”

According to the World Green Building Council, the construction sector (including equipment use) accounts for 11 per cent of global emissions. Volvo CE says the majority of construction equipment emissions are indirect emissions, which refer to the emissions created when the equipment is being used the moment it leaves the factory.

Mr Kuta says Volvo CE aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, and as part of that and its commitment to Science Based Targets, it wants to reduce emissions from its product line by 30 per cent by 2030, as well as reducing emissions from their own operations by 50 per cent in the same timeframe.

Volvo CE products have an average lifespan of 10 years. In order to meet its goals of a completely net-zero rolling fleet by 2050, all products delivered after 2040 must have net zero carbon emissions.

The company has launched an online portal to gather expressions of interest from the construction, industrial and energy sectors for its machines. Interested parties can get an individualised, live walkthrough to see the machines in operation and understand how they are not only more sustainable for the environment, but also to their business bottom line as well.

On top of zero carbon emissions and fumes, Volvo CE’s machines are much quieter and less disruptive to the operator and the surroundings.

That is due to the absence of a diesel engine and a cooling fan. The ECR25 electric excavator, for instance, is quieter than a conventional diesel-powered machine. Volvo CE says that operators of its ECR25 Electric compact excavators have reported less fatigue as compared to the diesel version.

“Using Volvo CE electric machines offers all kinds of advantages to owners. Of course, it will boost the sustainability of their own operations, but it’s also about creating a nicer environment for the operator and others on site,” says Mr AM Muralidharan, head of productivity and retail development for Asia, Volvo CE.

“The lack of engine noise and fumes removes a lot of the distraction that can come from working around equipment and allows much better focus on the job at hand. It’s also kinder to the local community.”

The ECR25 electric excavator and the L25 electric wheel loader specifications are nearly identical to their diesel counterparts, according to Volvo CE. Both machines share the same specifications, except that the electric versions have marginally higher operating weights, while the ECR25 electric excavator has a slight increase in continuous motor power.

In addition, electric machines deliver instant torque at the push of a button, while diesel machines take little more time to respond. The batteries of these machines can also handle up to 2500 charge cycles and will provide up to six to eight hours on a full charge.

“Thanks to our electric machine’s inbuilt stop-start system, they consume almost no energy while in idle mode, unlike diesel machines. This results in significant energy savings. While they have a slightly higher operating weight than their diesel equivalents, the electric machines also deliver more continuous motor power,” adds Mr Muralidharan.

Recognising that customers may lack the time or knowledge for responsible battery disposal, Volvo CE offers a convenient and sustainable solution. Through the global Volvo Energy initiative to manage battery recycling, the company will ensure end-of-life batteries are disposed of in accordance with local regulations.

Like electric cars, Volvo CE’s equipment requires a charging point to fill up their batteries. As such, new owners of Volvo CE’s equipment will have to make some adjustments in the way they work. For instance, charging their machines instead of refuelling them.

“Users don’t have to take machines to commercial charging stations for recharge. There is generally 220V power supply across most construction sites, and this facilitates overnight charging by simply plugging directly into the grid. In addition, there are standalone fast chargers for the machines and these connect to the 415V power supply that is also found at most construction sites and can deliver Fast Charging,” says Mr R Ramarajan, product services and product marketing (excavators and road) of Region Asia for Volvo CE.

“The fast chargers are compact and can be quickly installed/decommissioned onsite by qualified electricians. Volvo CE is also currently developing solutions for remote sites, for cases where grid availability is a challenge,” he adds.

The benefits of owning a fleet of EV machines over diesel-powered ones include lower operating costs, as recharging the machines with electricity is cheaper than filling them with diesel. EV machines also require less maintenance than diesel equivalents as there are fewer moving parts than a combustion engine machine.

And while the machines may take some getting used to operating, Volvo CE’s machines come with highly-trained customer service and after-sales care, ensuring that its customers’ investments are well looked after.

At present, two L25 Electric compact wheel loaders from Volvo are being assessed at Kim Hock Corporation’s Jurong facility, marking the introduction of cleaner and quieter construction machinery in the city-state. As the first Singapore-based recipient of Volvo CE’s electric machines, Kim Hock’s machine operators have reported lower noise and the absence of fumes, and a more conducive work environment.

“As an industrial company we know we have a part to play in creating a greener Singapore, and we have aligned many aspects of our business with the government’s Singapore Green Plan 2030,” says Mr T.S. Lim, general manager at Kim Hock Corporation.

“Using these new electric machines from Volvo CE helps us move towards our goal of being a low emissions business with a net-zero level of industrial waste.”

The L25 Electric, the ECR25 Electric and EC55 Electric models are just the start. Volvo CE has plans to launch larger electric machines for the Singapore market in the near future.

“We are driving electromobility in the construction equipment industry and currently have the largest range of commercially available electric machines. We already have larger machines, including our EC230 and EC500 Grid. In the future, we will pursue a three-pronged approach to more sustainable equipment, with battery electric, fuel cell electric that runs on green hydrogen and, to a limited extent, internal combustion engines running on biofuels or other fossil-free fuels,” says Mr Kuta.

“For the Singapore construction equipment market, change starts here.”

To find out more about how Volvo CE's electric mobility solutions can help your company contribute to a more sustainable future, click here to schedule a demo.

Brought to you by:

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards

Spin the wheel now