Volvo unveils electric compact wheeled loader

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has unveiled its latest concept machine – known as the LX2 – at the Volvo Group Innovation Summit in Berlin, Germany.

The electric compact wheel loader prototype is said to deliver zero emissions, significantly lower noise levels, improved efficiency and reduced operational costs, compared to its conventional counterparts.

The LX2 is a second-generation prototype that is part of a research project and is not commercially available. To make the machine electric, the combustion engine has been replaced with a lithium ion battery. This stores enough electric energy to operate the machine for eight hours in its most common applications, such as light infrastructure construction and landscaping.

The machine also incorporates two dedicated electric motors, one for the drivetrain and one for the hydraulics. Decoupling the subsystems has led to higher efficiency in both the systems and the entire machine.

“The LX2 is a revolutionary zero-emissions prototype that offers improved efficiency and lower operational costs, without compromising on machine performance,” said Ulrich Faß, emerging technologies manager.

“It incorporates the latest advanced chemistry battery technology. As it’s electric, no particulate matter, nitrogen oxide or carbon dioxide are released into the environment. This, together with the fact that it has extremely low noise levels, makes it ideal for use in cities and densely populated areas, as it can be used without disturbing people. This is the same for the EX2 100% electric compact excavator, therefore the machines would be ideally suited to working alongside each other.”

At the summit Volvo CE also demonstrated the EX2, an electric compact excavator prototype, and presented the company’s electric site research project.