This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Autonomous Vehicle Tech logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Autonomous Vehicle Tech logo
  • News
  • New Mobility
  • Vehicles & Systems
    • Product Management
  • Analysis
  • Regs & Standards
  • Infrastructure
  • Products
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Editions
    • Subscribe
    • eNewsletter
    • Contact Us
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Advertise
    • About
  • More
    • 2020 AVT ACES Award Winners
    • AVTech Futures
    • Submit an Article
    • Submit a Job Listing
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • AVT Store
  • Buyers Guide
Home » Testing begins at 'emission free' quarry
Autonomous Vehicle NewsAutonomyNew MobilityElectrification

Testing begins at 'emission free' quarry

Volvo quarry

Overview of the Electric Site.

Volvo HX2

Prototype HX2 autonomous, battery-electric load carrier.

Volvo EX1

Prototype EX1 dual-powered, cable-connected excavator.

Volvo LX1

Prototype LX1 electric hybrid wheel loader.

Volvo quarry
Volvo HX2
Volvo EX1
Volvo LX1
August 31, 2018
Linda Trego
KEYWORDS Heavy Truck / Skanska / Trucks / Volvo
Reprints
No Comments

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) and Skanska announced a study to create an “emission-free” quarry. 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 some diesel power will still be used. The companies say they expect system’s efficiency, safety, and environmental benefits are set to impact both customers and society at large.

Volvo CE and Skanska began testing the viability of the Electric Site concept at Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry, near Gothenburg, Sweden. The system, which incorporates electric and autonomous Volvo machines, will run in a real production environment for 10 weeks—delivering an anticipated 95% reduction in carbon emissions and 25% reduction in total cost of operations.

“This is the first time that anything like this has been attempted in the quarrying industry and, if successful, Electric Site could serve as a blueprint for transforming the efficiency, safety, and environmental impact of quarries around the world,” said Gunnar Hagman, CEO of Skanska Sweden.

The Electric Site project has involved developing new concept machines, work methods, and site management systems. New technology encompasses machine and fleet control systems and logistic solutions for electric machines in quarries.

“We have had to completely rethink the way we work and how we look upon machine efficiency—pushing the boundaries of our competence,” said Melker Jernberg, President of Volvo CE. “The total site solution we developed together with our customer Skanska is not a commercial solution for sale today, and we will evaluate the outcome of the tests, but we have learnt so much already, elements of which will be fed into our future product development,”

Three rigid haulers, for example, have been replaced by eight smaller prototype HX2 autonomous, battery-electric load carriers to transport the material from the primary mobile crusher up to the secondary static crusher.

Volvo says the prototype has advanced significantly since the HX1 was first shown to customers and members of the international press at the Volvo Exploration Forum in September 2016. “The HX1 was our proof of concept,” explained Uwe Müller, Chief Project Manager for Electric Site at Volvo CE. “Once we knew it was feasible, we updated the design requirements for the HX2 to incorporate shared technologies and components from the Volvo Group, such as electric motors, batteries, and power electronics. Integrating a completely new drivetrain was crucial to take full advantage of the groundbreaking electromobility developments that are happening inside the Volvo Group. Another new feature is the addition of a vision system, which allows the machine to detect humans and obstacles in its vicinity.”

The primary crusher on the Skanska site is loaded by the 70-t dual-powered, cable-connected EX1 excavator prototype, which had not previously been seen by customers and press. The base machine for the EX1 is a Volvo EC750 model that has been upgraded to incorporate an electric motor in addition to the diesel engine.

“To fit the new components in the machine without increasing its size required a significant amount of repackaging work,” Müller explained. “However, in terms of the operator interface and controls, nothing has changed—it’s operated in exactly the same way as a conventional Volvo excavator. If the cable is connected, the machine will automatically start in electric mode. If it’s not, it will start in diesel mode.”

“Because the machine will be relatively static—only moving a few meters once or twice a day as the excavator works its way through the blasted rock—it’s ideally suited as a fully electric machine on a cable. This has allowed us to make it a zero-emission excavator when it’s plugged into the grid. However, we’ve designed it with flexibility in mind, so that we have the option of using the diesel engine when it’s needed, for example, to reposition the machine or quickly move it prior to blasting,” he continued.

The piles of material on the site are organized by the LX1, Volvo CE’s prototype electric hybrid wheel loader. The machine can deliver up to a 50% improvement in fuel efficiency, as well as reductions in emissions and noise pollution. The LX1 is a series hybrid, which incorporates a driveline that consists of electric drive motors mounted at the wheels, electric-driven hydraulics, an energy storage system, a significantly smaller diesel engine, and new machine architecture, including a new design of the lifting unit. It is this combination that enables the substantial gain in fuel efficiency. The prototype—which has 98% new parts—can do the work of a wheel loader that is one size larger.

avt-subscribe

Recent Articles by Linda Trego

Ground penetrating radar aimed at improving autonomous vehicle navigation

Ford and Microsoft explore quantum computing to reduce traffic congestion

European Commission approves support for battery value chain

Related Articles

Starsky Robotics begins testing unmanned trucks on public highways

Sprint tests robot EV chargers In New York to lower CO2 emissions

Toyota, KDDI, and Tokyo Hire-Taxi Association begin verification testing for 'connected taxis'

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Online Registration
  • eNewsletter
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

2020 AVT ACES Award Winners

Autonomous Vehicle Technology announces its 2020 AVT ACES Award Winners

Toyota Research Institute’s P4 vehicle

Toyota Research Institute’s P4 vehicle testing two-track automated driving system development

Volkswagen launches first vehicle

Volkswagen launches first vehicle in its major electrification push

Argo AI’s self-driving system

Argo AI’s self-driving system attracts new high-level investment

Nvidia introduces first commercially available Level 2+ automated driving system

Nvidia introduces first commercially available Level 2+ automated driving system

AVTech-Futures-19-360


AVT Events/Webinars

Products

Autonomous Vehicles - Thematic Research (PDF download)

Autonomous Vehicles - Thematic Research (PDF download)

The global automotive industry – worth $3.5 trillion in annual revenues – faces four concurrent disruptive threats: the connected car, the electric vehicle, autonomous driving technology and the concept of transport-as-a-service. Each threat is potentially existential to legacy carmakers who operate in a low growth, low margin sector that rattles with over capacity, and which is seeing its supply lines reset by cumulative advances in enabling technologies typically deployed by Tier-1 automobile sub-system suppliers. This report focuses on autonomous driving technology.

See More Products

Autonomous Vehicle Technology’s Numbers & Stats


Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Autonomous Vehicle Technology December 2019

2019 December

This month we feature our AVT ACES: 2020 Award Winners, for which we recognize the most innovative technologies, products, and services of the year from your company in the areas of vehicle autonomy, connectivity, electrification, and mobility services (ACES). In addition, we look at testing trends at autonomous vehicle manufacturers and suppliers and the challenge of improving motorcycle safety with electronic rider-assist systems.

View More Create Account
  • More
    • About Us
    • Connect
    • Privacy Policy
  • Resources
    • Book Store
    • Events Calendar
    • Survey And Sample
    • Job Listings
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing