| Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is launching Volvo Group’s first machine retail e-commerce tool. The online portal will give customers the opportunity to get in line for the first time to pre-book one of the company’s new electric compact machines.
The new ECR25 Electric compact excavator and L25 Electric compact wheel loader have no exhaust emissions and low noise levels and vibrations, making them the perfect accompaniment for inner city jobsites or any sensitive work environment, Volvo said.
Both of the machines utilize lithium-ion batteries and electric motors to replace the normal diesel engines, but working functions continue to be driven by hydraulics. The Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator has an operating weight of 6019 lb. (2730 kg) and can operate up to four hours on a single charge, the company said. Using off-board fast charging, the batteries can be 80% recharged in one hour and fully charged in five hours using the onboard 230 Vac charger.
The L25 Electric wheel loader has an operating weight of 11,023 lb. (5000 kg) and can run up to eight hours on a single charge. Full recharging is 12 hours using the onboard charger and 80% in two hours using a remote fast charging system.
For the first time since their unveiling last year, customers can pre-book each machine by signing up to the company’s pre-booking tool.
“We are always looking for ways to improve the customer experience, streamline our processes and make use of new technologies,” said Melker Jernberg, Volvo CE president. “So what better time to announce an innovative new sales platform than with the market launch of our electric machines. We look forward to hearing what our customers think.”
By registering on the pre-booking tool — which opened Feb. 25 across the key markets of France, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Norway, and will be expanded to other markets in the near future — customers are reserving a place in the production queue for the electric machines. Later, customers will be alerted by their local dealer if they have been selected to place an actual order for the machines, which are set to hit the market in the summer.
Built to expand the opportunities for customers to buy one of the electric machines and to broaden the way the machines are used by customers, the online portal is being handled in collaboration with local dealers. |
