Volvo Construction Equipment will begin building its DD25 Electric tandem drum vibratory compactor at its Shippensburg, Pennsylvania plant. Volvo expects to deliver the first compactors in 2024.
“This is a monumental day at Volvo CE,” said Scott Young, acting president of Region North America, in a statement. “Manufacturing electric machines in Shippensburg is good news for the environment, our customers, the local economy, and the broader U.S. construction equipment industry.”
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The DD25 Electric compactor will be manufactured on the same assembly line as Volvo diesel asphalt and soil compactors. This allows the site to expand production capacity without increasing its footprint or incurring significant costs to retool the factory. Volvo is investing heavily in training for its employees, providing over 800 total hours of instruction on electric equipment production concepts and processes.
“We have a talented workforce and the perfect space at this location to set ourselves up for ongoing development and production of industry-changing machines,” said Gustavo Casagrandi, head of operations at the Shippensburg plant.
EPA grant spurs pilot testing of DD25 Electric
Volvo expects to receive a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a pilot testing project of the DD25 Electric in Southern California. Volvo will dedicate $758,000 toward the project.
The grant, funded under the Targeted Airshed Grant Program, will be administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The South Coast AQMD board approved the project earlier this summer, and details are being finalized.
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The double-drum DD25 Electric is designed to meet or exceed the performance level of its diesel equivalent. For instance, its 24 kW of peak available power is 30% more than the conventional DD25B compactor, which results in a more responsive machine in terms of speed and vibrations, according to Volvo. It also performs better on grade thanks to the size of its components and better at high elevations when compared to a diesel machine, which loses power as altitude increases.
The South Coast AQMD project will involve using the DD25 Electric in residential and commercial applications at a variety of locations in Southern California.
Source: Volvo Construction Equipment
