Volvo CE has announced plans to invest millions into its excavator plant in Changwon, South Korea, in order to build commercial-grade battery packs like the one in the upcoming EC230 electric excavator (shown, above).
At around 1.1 million square meters, (a nearly unimaginable 11.84 million square feet) Volvo’s South Korean factory is the largest excavator production site in Volvo CE’s global portfolio, and produces around 55% of its total excavator volume.
“As the largest plant in Volvo CE and the core site for excavator development and production, Changwon is at the forefront of our shift to a sustainable future,” said Andy Knight, Head of Operations Excavator and Managing Director of Volvo Group Korea. “This investment is an important milestone in our electrification roadmap and supports our recent investments in production facilities for electric excavators. Changwon is ideally located close to battery module supply partners and other key suppliers in South Korea to meet the needs of customers in the future. We are also home to a highly skilled and motivated workforce who are fully committed to meeting our future environmental targets.”
The new generation of electric excavators from Volvo, revealed a few weeks ago the during “Volvo Days” heavy equipment event, promises to revolutionize life on a job site with less noise, more reliable operation, and (of course) drastically reduced diesel emissions on-site. “With its battery power,” writes Equipment World, “the (new Volvo CE) excavator is expected to achieve 60-70% reduction of energy running costs compared to the EC220. Teysseire said the EC230 E is equipped with four 66-kilowatt lithium-ion battery packs that enable the operator to work four to five hours in general purpose applications. With a high-power fast charge on a lunch hour, the machine should last through a full eight-hour shift.”
Sounds pretty good to me!
The new high-tech battery line is designed to be constructed without interrupting the ongoing business of, you know, building excavators, the new production capabilities will be built out inside the current Changwon component workshop. The new battery facility will occupy about 2,500 square meters (just under 27,000 sq. ft.) when it is finished, including the assembly and logistical sections. Construction is slated to start this April, with the first Volvo CE commercial battery pack set to roll off the production line next June.
Source | Images: Volvo CE.
