Volvo's first electric small wheel loader was a success in German forest farms

Leick Baumschulen is testing the Volvo Construction Equipment's first L25 electric small wheel loader, and the user has concluded that it is quiet, easy to maintain and has zero emissions, making it a great help for forest and landscaping companies.

L25 electric small wheel loader working in Leick Baumschulen forest farm

Volvo Construction Equipment The Contz plant in Germany will begin production of the L25 electric small wheel loader in mid-2020. Leick Baumschulen, a 30-minute drive from the plant, is the first company in the world to test this new "green" equipment. .

Leick Baumschulen is a forest farm and landscaping company. It is a 34-year veteran of Volvo. It places great emphasis on sustainability and is willing to accept new technologies related to the environment. Leick Baumschulen's highly skilled operators use small wheel loaders every day to perform a variety of tasks, including pallet transport, material loading, and leveling and cleaning.

Paolo Mannesi, product manager for Volvo Construction Equipment's global small wheel loader, said: "The diverse mission allows us to test the performance of the new electric small wheel loader with the customer in a perfect realistic scenario."

In order to comfortably experience its large yards and display areas, Leick Baumschulen has purchased pure electric golf carts, and the company hopes to further explore the benefits of electrification equipment for its existing construction equipment.

L25 electric small wheel loader runs on the customer's site

The company's owners, Christoph Leick and Michael Leick, believe in the benefits of electrification equipment and believe that the benefits of electrification are in line with their entrepreneurial thinking. They feel that being a part of the electrification development process is a great affirmation of Volvo, and they are very happy to contribute to future products with their experience in the business field.

The Volvo L25 electric small wheel loader is powered by a lithium-ion battery and can be used for eight hours of shifts on a single charge, and can be used in routine work situations including light infrastructure operations, gardening, landscaping and agriculture. The L25 also includes two dedicated electric motors, one for the powertrain and one for the hydraulic system. By subsystem decoupling, the efficiency of the entire device is improved.

Powerful and no noise

The first impression of Leick Baumschulen's operator on the Volvo L25 electric small wheel loader is that it operates very similarly to conventional diesel-powered equipment, but at the same time has the advantages of electrification equipment.

“This is a high-performance, well-designed product. This unit operates in a similar way to a traditional wheel loader, but it improves the driver's comfort and does not bother the surrounding environment – ​​providing power It feels similar, but is quieter, has less vibration, requires less maintenance, and emits zero when in use,” says Christoph Leick.

Volvo Construction Equipment and the Leick Baumschulen team are testing the equipment during the experimental phase.

For Leick Baumschulen, the silent operation of the Volvo L25 electric small wheel loader is one of its greatest strengths.

“We can use this equipment to transport plants in the display area where customers often come in and out. With this equipment, the noise level is greatly reduced, and our customers and employees feel more comfortable. This means that when the equipment is running nearby, we still You can continue to talk and discuss with customers," he said.

Very little maintenance

Another major benefit of this device is its ease of maintenance.

“Because it doesn’t have a diesel engine, so there’s less maintenance. We don’t need to check engine oil and coolant or refueling every day. We just need to charge it at night: plug one end of the charger into the device and the other end into the normal The household outlet is fixed. Simple and safe!" he continued.

Mannesi said: We are very satisfied with the equipment in terms of power, extremely low noise levels and driver comfort. In some ways, it even exceeded our expectations.

Volvo Construction Equipment and the Leick Baumschulen team

“I really feel great about the hard work of the Volvo Construction Equipment team to build the L25 electric equipment. Whether it is the whole project process or the final product, it reflects the excellent teamwork spirit. Very happy to see It is now possible to work on the customer's job site and make their daily work easier and more comfortable. This is what we strive for every day."

Currently, Leick Baumschulen is testing the Volvo L25 electric small wheel loader in the pilot phase. The equipment will be available in mid-2020, when Volvo Construction Equipment will stop developing new L20 to L28-ton small wheel loaders based on diesel engines. (This article is from Volvo Construction Equipment)