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| Volvo Construction Equipment President of Region Asia Tomas Kuta speaks in a roundtable interview with Korea's three English-language daily newspapers at Crest 72 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Volvo Group Korea |
By Park Jae-hyuk
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has dismissed concerns among industry insiders about the insufficiency of its electric construction equipment ― compared to conventional diesel machines ― showing its confidence regarding the quality and performance of the ECR25 compact electric excavator, which was displayed in Seoul, Wednesday, for the first time in Asia.
"Compact equipment is less of a concern, as it does not work for eight to 10 hours," Volvo CE President of Region Asia Tomas Kuta said in a roundtable interview with Korea's three English-language daily newspapers, on the sidelines of the 2.5-ton machine's showcase event. "It usually works for four to five hours a day, and its batteries can last up to four hours."
Kuta was not even worried about any possible negative impacts caused by the recent economic downturn concerning the demand for the new construction equipment. He said his company has maintained strong positions in Europe, North America and Asia, despite a significant drop lately in China's construction industry.
The head of Volvo CE's Asia operations, however, acknowledged concerns about the lack of battery charging stations not just in Korea, but also all across the world. In order to solve the problem, he promised that his company can provide chargers to consumers, if necessary.
Regarding competition with Korean rivals, the Czech Republic-born executive said Volvo CE's products may be more "refined" thanks to its R&D centers worldwide. According to industry officials, HR E&I has already supplied electric excavators to the Korean market, and Hyundai Genuine is set to come up with such products next year as well.
Kuta described the global transition to electro-mobility as a "paradigm shift," but at the same time, he admitted it is still difficult to use batteries to operate larger machines. He therefore mentioned hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels as alternatives to diesel for larger construction equipment.
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| Volvo Construction Equipment Head of Market Korea Lim Jae-tack operates the ECR25 compact electric excavator during a press conference at Crest 72 in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis |
According to Volvo CE, its ECR25 was developed and built at the company's Belley factory in France, although the company finished building the first mass-production line for electric excavators in April in its Changwon plant in South Gyeongsang Province.
The Swedish firm has also collaborated with Samsung SDI for the supply of battery cells for the ECR25.
"In addition to the advantages of an electric excavator with less noise, and no exhaust fumes, it is highly useful in urban or densely populated environments as its small rotation design enables easier operations in a small space," the company said in a press release.
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