News 23 January 2019 News from SKAO
KWS develops first electric truck for construction sites
The Dutch road construction company KWS Infra worked alongside the transportation concern Vrijbloed Transport to develop the first electric truck including electric crane. The road constructor aims to make use of the electric truck in one of its road construction projects.
By implementing machinery with an electric engine, KWS and Vrijbloed strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during construction processes. With the development of the electric truck, both parties aim to contribute to the achievement of sustainability goals. Moreover, the electric truck reduces noise disturbance and requires less maintenance compared to trucks with diesel engines. KWS expects the electric truck to have a radius of action of 150 kilometers with a fully charged battery including a trailer. The road constructor is now awaiting approval for the electric truck to be driven on the road after which it will be implemented in construction projects.
Reducing carbon emissions on projects
The electric truck will be used in projects for clients such as the Dutch airport Schiphol and the municipality of Amsterdam. KWS will mostly be using the truck to transport, remove and carry bulk goods and building materials, such as sand and stones. The truck will first be implement on the facilities of KWS Infra in Amsterdam-Heerhugowaard. According to the road constructor, implementing the truck in these projects will show the performance of the truck under different conditions.
“As a market leader in road construction, KWS wishes to make this important step and no longer wait”, says Rolf Mars, director of KWS, in a press release. “The environment does not wait any longer, so now is the time for us to take our responsibility and cut back the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. We are proud to have realized the very first electric truck in the construction sector along with Vrijbloed and we hope that more electric trucks will follow.”
From diesel to electric
The electric truck originally contained a diesel engine. In assignment of Vrijbloed and KWS, the composition of the electric truck was assembled by the Dutch organisation Wierda Hybrid. The project lasted 1,5 year. “One of the challenges was the space that the batteries would take up compared to a diesel tank. A regular truck has limited space in its chassis to store a sufficient amount of batteries. However, we have managed to reassemble the diesel truck to an electric truck through strong collaboration and knowledge sharing”, says Mathijs Vrijbloed of Vrijbloed Transport.
Do you want to know more about the opportunities and challenges to implement more electric vehicles and tools in the construction site? Check out our Longread: Why the construction sector could benefit from electrification.
Source: KWS