All Electric comes to Heavy Equipment
I thought this would be interesting to our readers, especially those who are following the development of electric vehicles. Electric has infiltrated heavy equipment.
This is Volvo’s latest all electric excavator: EC230. It is a 23 metric tonne (25 ton) machine. Not small. It is just like their diesel version but with batteries and an electric motor. 264KW of battery power. They are in the double digits for sales already. They have it structured for 4 to 5 hr run time then a 150KW, 1 hr charge and your good for the rest of the day. The battery life is 2000 to 5500 charging cycles.
Keep in mind, unlike a diesel machine, if this machine is not moving then power is not being used. I’m assuming that Volvo had to take into account power drain as hydraulic power draw increase in order to state a 4 – 5 hr run time. It really is fascinating what this machine is.
I know they have a portable charging station that can run off solar if needed. I have seen it in a prior video.
Enjoy. At the end they mention prototype a hydrogen cell powered 30 ton site truck. That’s coming in another video.
We are becoming a post-fire world. The transition to electric power is happening. We’ll probably have combustion based power plants operating for a fair while longer, but it isn’t clear anyone will be burning anything save for aesthetic or recreational reasons in fifty years.
(This seems like a perfect application. Heavy batteries are less a problem for heavy machinery. They already move tons of mass, so an extra ton or two of batteries isn’t a big deal.)
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I didn’t get a sense that Volvo was risking much here and this power option doesn’t cut into potential  availability of traditionally-powered equipment.  If it turns out that demand is dominated by customers wishing to present themselves as aligned with “climate progress” and that were to decrease quickly, Volvo would probably be okay here.  I can’t say it keeps me up at night, but I wonder what happens to car and truck producers if in a couple years policies that favor electric power change?  While all increases in non-carbon electricity generation can be committed to demand for which there is no alternative to electricity, it’s not too hard to envision policy of accelerating transition of generation and distribution transitions and not pushing for demand conversion until that’s much farther along.  No EV customer subsidies and no ESG credit for 15 or 20 years while power supply technologies advance.  Volvo here just shrugs that off I think, keeps some low-level product development working and comes back in 2037 with products like this.  Not sure Ford would have as easy a road to travel.
The EC230 is a toy. Draglines have been running on electricity since the mid-1960s. Straight off the grid – no battery built so far could power Big Muskie:
Yes, true. But battery powered thus free to move as a diesel powered unit is new. You do see the distinction? Â
Well, since you’re taking this seriously, I’ll ask you a question in regard to this:
“Electric has infiltrated heavy equipment.”
Do you see how your statement didn’t make the distiction? Electricity “infiltrated heavy equipment” in the 1960s. The heaviest equipment.
But you go ahead and get huffy if you must.
Macro:
I believe what Mike is saying, thr batteries give heavy equipmentgreater freedom rather
Before long, I might be looking at an EV VOLVO electric front-end-loader for my snow removal, in addition to the EV pickup truck I don’t have. This should help reduce the greenhouse effect eventually.
I’m not a fan of the oilsands and when I worked there for Suncor and Shell, I referred to it as “Mordor” and the baseplant where the coke was stored and the electricity was generated as the Thunder Dome” but I needed the job and it paid well. But out in the mines, the shovels were electric, and they could fill the largest haul trucks on earth, in 2 minutes. Now Suncor is turning those trucks into robots. It was like working on another planet. I kept expecting to run into Sgourney Weaver ffs! https://www.oilsandsmagazine.com/technical/mining/surface-mining/equipment
dilbit:
We used to have a guy by the name of Dilbert. Are you such person? Also, thanks for you information. few if any of us have done what you are describing.
No, but I used to read Dilbert comics. “Dilbit” is the shorthand for diluted bitumen. That’s the substance that’s created when you strip the radioactive coal solids out of oilsand and add solvents (cracked from previous heavy oil) so the product “Dilbit” can flow through pipelines, similar to conventional oil.
dilbit:
Pulled your comment out of the trash “again.” Not sure why you ended up there. Interesting comment!