Accelerating the electric transition

Our ambition is to facilitate and accelerate the electromobility transformation by helping the wider industry create more charging solutions. But without a common protocol, customers may need different chargers for a multi-branded fleet. That is why we are publishing our very own 48 voltage DC power supply protocol to make it easier for others to adopt.

Our shared decarbonization journey

There is currently no industry standard for 48V DC charging solutions – the power required for electric compact machines – making it likely that customers will require many different types of chargers if they have a multi-branded fleet. We have therefore opted to publish our own brand-agnostic software protocol, as well as plug specifications – so that other OEMs and suppliers can use it in the development of their own charging solutions, moving us all closer to establishing an industry standard.

Why is this important?

Acting now on climate change

We stand firm in our commitment to take action towards a fossil-free future, but it is only by working together that we can achieve that goal. We believe the use of our protocol will ensure the development of charging solutions that are sustainable, safe, reliable and easy to use.

Accelerated transformation

We are facilitating the electromobility transformation by helping the wider industry create more charging solutions - based on a common protocol - for the benefit of customers, and taking a step closer towards an industry standard, which currently does not exist today.

Supporting our customers

We know that the electric transformation can seem overwhelming. With the publication of our protocol for electric compact machines, we are contributing to a standardized, reliable, and efficient electric ecosystem that makes it easy for our customers to go electric.

FAQ

What is a 48V DC protocol?

It is a specification of the software interface as well as a specification for the physical interface used on off-board DC charging solutions. 48V DC (direct current) is the voltage for our smallest range of compact machines.

Is it open for anyone to use?

Yes it open for anyone to access, but it is mainly for OEMs and suppliers to adopt in the development of their own charging solutions. It is a free resource that does not cost anything to access.

For which machines is it designed for?

This is for compact machines up to around 3 tons. For Volvo CE, this currently applies to the ECR18 Electric, EC18 Electric and ECR25 Electric compact excavators, the L20 Electric and L25 Electric compact wheel loaders and the DD25 Electric asphalt compactor.

Why is it a protocol for only 48V DC charging?

There is already an industry standard for 600V DC charging – the other system we use for heavier electric equipment – that has already been designed for the automotive industry.