Construction Equipment
Global
Volvo CE and its customer Skanska are turning the quarrying industry upside down in a groundbreaking study to create the world’s first ‘emission-free’ quarry. Drawing on the electromobility and automation expertise of the Volvo Group, the research project, dubbed Electric Site, aims to electrify each transport stage in a quarry – from excavation to primary crushing, and transport to secondary crushing – although a negligible amount of diesel power will still be used. The system’s efficiency, safety and environmental benefits are set to impact both customers and society at large.
The viability of the Electric Site research project has been tested over 10 weeks at Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry, near Gothenburg, Sweden. The results are even better than expected. The tests showed a 98% reduction in carbon emissions, a 70% reduction in energy cost and a 40% reduction in operator cost. The results also indicate that the Electric Site project takes a big step towards helping Volvo CE achieve its future vision where work sites are ten times more efficient, with zero accidents, zero unplanned stops and zero emissions.
Together, these results support the potential for a 25% reduction in total cost of operations. However, at this stage, the reduction in total cost of operations is just a prediction. As the prototype machines are part of a research project and are not commercially available, it is impossible to give a guaranteed figure.
The Electric Site is part of Concept Labs. Volvo CE teamed up with Skanska Sweden, the Swedish Energy Agency and two Swedish universities – Linköping University and Mälardalen University – in October 2015 to collaborate on the SEK 203 million project.
Volvo CE is coordinating the project and is in charge of developing the machines and systems. Skanska Sweden is providing logistical solutions, application relevance and job site knowledge. The Swedish Energy Agency is helping to fund the project and the universities are carrying out research. Two PhD students are looking at battery aging and energy management for electric vehicles, as well as functional safety.
Vikan Kross is Skanska’s second largest quarry. It is located in Gothenberg, Sweden. It has been in operation since the early 1960s and plays a major role in the development of the area. The Vikan Kross quarry produces stone materials in various dimensions for building and road construction projects. It also sells materials to asphalt and concrete plants.The quarry supplies materials to six concrete plants within the Gothenburg area. For the most part, this includes stone materials such as cubed stone for concrete production. Over the past 20 years, an average of 1.25 million tonnes has been mined there each year. In a typical day, 6,000 tonnes of material is produced.
8 small prototype HX02 autonomous, battery-electric load carriers transport the material from the primary mobile crusher up to the secondary static crusher.
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The primary crusher on the Skanska site is loaded by the 70t dual-powered, cable-connected EX01 excavator prototype.
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The piles of material on the site are organised by the LX01, Volvo CE’s prototype electric hybrid wheel loader.
More information on this conceptMeet Uwe Müller, Volvo CE’s Chief Project Manager for the Electric Site
To achieve fantastic results you have to work together. Uwe Muller, Chief Project Manager Electric Site explains the importance of teamwork and learning from mistakes.
Meet Joakim Käpynen, Skanska Production Manager behind the research project
What can we learn from the Electric Site project? Joakim Kapynen, Project Manager at Skanska, tells us the future is autonomous.
The Electric Site, aims to electrify each transport stage in a quarry
To be carbon neutral we have to work together. See how Volvo CE and Skanska are taking giant strides to reduce their carbon footprint at the Electric Site Inauguration.
Do you know how the Electric Site work?
Find out how electrification, automation and connectivity are working hand in hand to cut costs and carbon in the aggregates industry. What are the goals of the Electric Site Project?
