Zero-emission construction machinery tested on LA Project

Volvo CE’s electric excavator will be used for a 90-day trial

Skanska is piloting a zero-emission electric excavator on Los Angeles Metro’s Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project in the US. 

The Volvo EC230 is the largest electric excavator of its kind, and it is designed to have the same capabilities as a diesel excavator. As it is powered by batteries, not an engine, using it will lower emissions on the job site and reduce noise during construction.

“The construction industry is responsible for 40% of energy-related carbon emissions. Our goal at Skanska is to continue to be a thought leader in sustainable solutions for the construction industry,” said James Bailey, Executive Vice President of Skanska USA Civil.

Skanska is replacing the current diesel-powered Komatsu PC228 excavator with the Volvo EC230 to load trucks of export material from a stockpile at the South Yard of the La Brea Station.

The electric excavator will be used for a 90-day trial and is one of four such pilot programs in North America to test the success of an electric excavator of this size on a significant megaproject like the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project, while further advancing Skanska’s mission of reducing embodied carbon emissions.

Mason Ford, Director of Sustainability and Equipment Services, Skanska USA Civil, commented that, “The use of this large electric excavator on a public transit megaproject adds to our continued implementation of green technologies, moving Skanska towards our global climate targets of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.”

The Volvo EC230 excavator has been launched in Europe, where Skanska has used the EC230 on its Slakthusområdet project, and separately in China. The equipment is expected to be commercially available in North America in 2024.