Wasa Åkarn praises the smooth operation and efficiency—of the Volvo L90 Electric

You’ve mostly operated diesel machines before. What made you want to test the L90 Electric?

It was a combination of environmental requirements from Söderenergi, the operator of the Igelsta plant, and our own internal sustainability efforts at Wasa Åkarn.

How does the L90 Electric fit into your operations?

It’s a versatile machine that covers many of our daily needs. The L90 Electric is well suited for service work, pallet handling, and heavier lifting. Our work includes cleaning the quay, where ships deliver fuel every day. We collect and remove materials, such as scrap from silos to boilers using forks on the wheel loader. We also handle salt and sulfur that need transporting, and we keep the area clean using a sweeping brush.

Has the L90 Electric met your expectations?

Overall, we’re very positive, and even our biggest diesel enthusiast is really impressed. What surprised us most is how pleasant the machine is to operate. The L90 Electric is responsive and powerful, with hydraulics that react instantly. The sweeping brush delivers full power without the need to accelerate, allowing it to spin quickly and work very efficiently. Cleaning is a major part of our maintenance work, and the electric wheel loader makes that task much easier.

What’s the longest the machine has run without charging?

During service work, opportunity charging is rarely necessary. On more intensive days with many heavy lifts, we can top up the battery during the lunch break. We have also trialed a Volvo PU500 Power Unit, which works very well. Since we regularly switch between many different machines during a typical workday, charging has never felt like an issue. Overall, we are very satisfied with how the L90 Electric performs for our operational needs.

Today, Wasa Åkarn uses Volvo CE machines for 95% of its fleet, and following the positive response from operators at the Igelsta plant, the company sees strong potential for continued electrification of the business—not least with the L90 Electric.

About Wasa Åkarn, Sweden

Core business: Terminal handling and logistics

Number of employees: Approximately 50

Number of machines: Approximately 60

Number of electric machines: 1 L90 Electric in testing