Volvo Construction Equipment introduces new electric wheel loader, excavator to North American market

(UI) – Volvo Construction Equipment has launched its North American introduction of its mid-size L120 Electric wheel loader and the new-generation EC230 Electric excavator.

While most electric construction equipment currently on the market is compact, the new mid-size electric wheel loader and excavator from Volvo CE are designed to meet the growing demand for larger, more powerful equipment with reduced environmental impact.

"These larger battery-electric models mark a significant advancement toward zero-emission solutions that can help businesses and government fleets meet sustainability and productivity goals,” said Dr. Ray Gallant, Vice President — Sustainability and Productivity Services, Volvo CE. “The electric excavator and wheel loader offer comparable performance to their diesel counterparts but with zero emissions, reduced noise and lower maintenance costs.”

North American customers can register online to reserve the mid-size L120 Electric wheel loader and the new-generation EC230 Electric excavator. Deliveries in the region are expected to begin in 2025.

The New L120 Electric

The L120 Electric wheel loader is a 22-ton machine with 6-ton lifting capacity and a recommended rehandling bucket capacity of 5 yd³, giving it nearly identical performance capabilities as its conventional counterpart. It can handle a variety of applications, including infrastructure, waste and recycling, agriculture, forestry, and ports and logistics centers.

Its 282-kWh lithium-ion battery system can run for five to nine hours on a single charge, depending on the application. Charging options include a 50-kW DC mobile charger that will charge the L120 Electric from empty to full in about six hours or a 150-kW DC fast charger that can charge it from empty to full in two hours.

The L120 Electric wheel loader is equipped with separate electric motors for propulsion and hydraulics. The system recoups deceleration energy to extend battery runtime, reduce brake wear and minimize the need for axle oil cooling. The loader also features active cooling and heating of the high-voltage batteries as well as passive cooling for the electric motors, transmission and hydraulic oil.

It includes many of the same features as its diesel equivalent, including on-board weighing with the Volvo Load Assist system, torque parallel linkage, electro-hydraulic lever controls and auto bucket-leveling functions. The electric loader is compatible with a range of Volvo attachments, such as buckets, forks, grapples, brooms and snowplows.

The L120 Electric wheel loader will be commercially available in North America in 2025.

The EC230 Electric

The 23-ton EC230 Electric is a general-purpose crawler excavator that first launched in early 2023 and has been proving itself on jobsites ever since, with a breakout force of 33,500 lbf, a max digging reach of 32 ft., 7 in. and a max digging depth of 22 ft., 1 in.

Early users have found that the EC230 Electric excavator significantly reduces emissions and operating costs. For instance, Skanska used it to load trucks of export material from an underground tunnel as part of a transit line renovation in Los Angeles. The machine reduced hourly carbon emissions by 66% and hourly costs by 74% over the 90-day test period. In a 90-day pilot with Sunbelt Rentals, the mid-size electric excavator delivered an 80% carbon reduction rate and 83% cost savings in comparison to its diesel equivalent.

The updated version of the EC230 Electric excavator boasts improved battery for longer runtime. It also has the updated cab and styling that is part of Volvo’s latest series of excavators.

The EC230 Electric will be commercially available in North America in early 2025.

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