Volvo CE Reports First North American Sale Of Zero-Emission ECR25 Electric Excavator

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Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the 3-ton Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator can work like a diesel for four to six hours per charge. (Photo courtesy of Volvo.)

A small family farm in Massachusetts has purchased North America’s first emissions-free, ECR25 Electric compact excavator made by Volvo Construction Equipment. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the 3-ton (2.7-metric-ton), 24-horsepower (18-kilowatt) machine can work like an equivalent diesel-powered excavator for four to six hours per charge in most cases.

“Our compact electric machines stood up to real-world testing in North America and received high marks from the customers who demoed them,” says Stephen Roy, president, Region North America at Volvo CE. “This is the first of many electric machines to be delivered to their owners in 2022.”

Fume-Free & Low-Noise

Walden Hill is a 400-acre farm owned and operated by wife-and-husband team Jennifer Milikowsky and Tylan Calcagni. The environmentally mindful couple produces maple syrup and harvests acorns. The acorns feed pigs at nearby partner farms, for which Walden Hill also markets, sells, and distributes pork products.

“Minimizing our carbon footprint is critical, so we try to do that with every decision we make,” says Milikowsky. “The thought of buying a diesel machine in 2022 that we would use for a decade or more was hard to accept. Now we get to take a big step forward in trying to convert our fleet of vehicles and machines to electric.”

The ECR25 Electric operates without producing greenhouse gases and exhaust particulates, and is simpler to maintain than a diesel unit. The electric excavator is also much quieter, with an operating noise level of 84 decibels around the machine and 74 dB in the cab.

Lower Operating & Maintenance Costs

Milikowsky and Calcagni installed a 220-volt outlet in their barn to recharge their new Volvo ECR25 Electric, which takes approximately five hours. The excavator can also charge using regular household current, albeit more slowly. With diesel prices at record high levels, the “refueling” cost difference between a traditional and an electric excavator is substantial.

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The Volvo ECR25 Electric is simpler to maintain than a diesel, and is also much quieter with an operating noise level of 74 decibels in the cab. (Photo courtesy of Volvo.)

Local dealer Tyler Equipment sold Walden Hill the new Volvo machine. “They can use it to clear pastures, remove stumps, maintain roads and ditches. . . all kinds of things,” says Tyler Equipment sales representative Peter Gaj.

“Previously, we would rent an excavator or Tylan would try to figure out how to use our tractor to get a task done,” Milikowsky says. “We realized it’s just so much better if you have the machine for the job. He was spending five hours doing a job that could take him an hour if he had an excavator! This excavator might help us put in a culvert under a forest trail one day and help us do site prep for a new sugar house the next.”

Specifications

The 20-kilowatt-hour ECR25 Electric excavator has a maximum digging depth of 9.1 feet (2.8 meters). It generates 5,020 pounds-foot (6,806 newton-meters) of breakout force and has an operating weight of 5,908 to 6,129 pounds (2,680 to 2,780 kilograms). The Volvo can move around on its tracks at up to 2.8 mph (4.5 km/h).

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Source: Volvo