Scott Young serves as North America region president for Volvo Construction Equipment, based in Shippensburg, Penn.
Young has approximately 23 years of experience in the construction equipment industry at both Ingersoll Rand and Volvo. He began his career at Volvo Group in 2008. In his previous role, Young served as Head of Uptime, where he led teams to implement new technologies and business models focused on service and product support, in ·collaboration with the Volvo CE dealer network.
Between 2014 and 2019, Young was based in Belgium and Sweden with responsibility for the company’s emerging electromobility and automation strategies and new product development.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
ENR: How would you characterize the state of use of electrical construction equipment across the industry?
young man: It’s still very new, but it’s slowly gaining momentum. The most prominent benefits of electric machines are the elimination of emissions and exhaust fumes and the significant reduction of noise and vibration, making them ideal for busy urban areas, special applications or indoor environments.
As batteries and charging options evolve to support larger rigs, it will become more viable for general construction. Skanska is among the first to successfully use larger electrical construction equipment.
Did you switch to a fully battery-powered product line during the pandemic?
No, but during that time we were working on our battery powered models. The good news is that we have the technology to achieve much lower emissions or even zero emissions, but it is likely that not all machines will be battery electric; we need to embrace other technologies, such as hydrogen, hybrids, alternative fuels and even machines connected directly to the grid.
Volvo CE’s goal is to electrify 35% of our entire product line by 2030 and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from the value chain by 2040.
How many of your electric machines are ready for production and which ones are the most popular?
In North America, we now have six commercially available compact models and two mid-size machines that can be reserved for production later this year or through 2025. The compact models include the EC18, ECR18 and ECR25 Electric compact excavators , the L20 and L25 Electric. compact wheel loaders and the DD25 electric compactor. Mid-size models are the L120 Electric Wheel Loader and the EC230 Electric Excavator. We also have some hydrogen fuel cell prototypes.
Are there any models online that you hope will be popular?
Those who have tested our compact electric machines have been pleasantly surprised at how similar they are to their diesel counterparts, except for the noise and fumes. I’m excited to see this carry over to the larger models.
There is a lot of interest in mid-size machines, and Volvo is among the first OEMs to dive into this market. While our customers appreciate our entry into this size range, we realize that two models lack the application coverage to make them universally appealing. So we continue to demonstrate the capabilities of these drives and help customers determine the infrastructure and work style changes needed to take advantage of electric machines. The introduction of larger electric equipment is happening alongside improvements in battery capacity and charging options, which will greatly accelerate the rate of adoption.
How do your contractor customers keep their fleet of machines loaded?
There is a difference between compact equipment and mid-sized and higher voltage offerings. For compact equipment, the best charging option for optimal battery life is Level 2 AC charging, also known as slow charging, versus DC fast charging, but both are acceptable depending on needs of the user.
The easiest way to charge is at a machine’s “home base” at the end of each shift, using a 240-volt outlet (like many of our appliances work). But this is not feasible in many construction work situations.
Some charging solutions are intended for workplaces with existing power that supports AC charging and DC fast chargers (which often require access to a 480-volt, 60-amp three-phase power source).
For remote work, there are standalone, off-grid solar chargers, as well as many portable solutions that can power equipment and even be used as temporary charging stations for other power tools.
Midsize and larger rigs will primarily require Level 3 fast charging systems because these machines have higher production expectations and customers want maximum uptime. For this, we expect to see the use of high-power opportunity charging, which often requires specialized charging structures.
Have you developed a mobile fast charging station?
Yes, seeing companies partner to innovate is exciting. We have worked with several partners to develop or distribute charging solutions. The most recent units we have released are the PU130 and the PU750.
We developed the PU130 in collaboration with Portable Electric. It is a portable AC and DC fast charger for smaller 48 volt battery electric machines. Using DC fast charging plugs, it can take a compact machine’s battery from empty to full in less than an hour while providing power to the site.
The PU750 was developed by Utility Innovation Group (UIG) in cooperation with Volvo CE and Volvo Penta. It allows mid-sized electric machines to be loaded on a variety of jobs thanks to its adaptability to multiple configurations and its easy transport on a low trailer. It’s ideal for quickly charging larger equipment without the need for a converter or secondary charger.
Anything to add about future trends in electrical construction equipment?
A key factor in growing the use of electrical equipment is updating our infrastructure. Machines and charging units are developing quickly, but work remains on the network that supports them. Governments and pioneering groups like the North American Electric Construction Equipment Coalition are essential to moving forward.
We must also bear in mind that the approach to making our industry more sustainable is not a single technical solution, but a variety of options that we will have to develop and integrate into our operations (such as hydrogen, hybrids, renewable fuels and more). As long as we continue to work together towards the ultimate goal, there is no wrong way to get there.
