Leading off-highway vehicle manufacturers have joined forces with ENI (Emissieloos Netwerk Infra) and ElaadNL to discuss open market standards for Zero Emission (ZE) construction machinery. In a roundtable the companies will work together pre-competitively to articulate standards on various design aspects of larger electric machines. That will enable easier adaptation by end users in the European markets. Komatsu, Volvo CE and VDL ETS are amongst the initial members of this round table and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Bauma construction trade fair in Munich.
Electrification brings important health and environmental benefits. It simultaneously mitigates climate (CO2), nature (NOx) and health (toxicity, noise, vibrations) impacts inherent to the combustion of diesel in construction equipment. Furthermore, there are many operational and economic benefits to be realized through standardization. For example, by making sure that every electric vehicle, battery and construction machine from every brand and type can charge without issues with all charging equipment.
The transition towards ZE construction equipment has already started in some countries like the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Experiences from those front runners have created a host of valuable insights to improve machines through standardization. Elsewhere, electrification is still in its infancy. That provides a unique opportunity to use those real-world experiences to agree upon open market standards now, before production is scaling up.
A typical example is the usage of the same smart charging protocol. Such protocols are needed to control the speed and time of charging. Because the battery capacity of one machine is typically 3-8 times that of a passenger car, the ability to smart charge is crucial to manage charging on a construction site. Those protocols exist but are not uniformly deployed by all suppliers of machinery and charging equipment. Today, that results in frequent compatibility issues on construction sites.
The parties in this roundtable recognize the potential benefits to the whole market if some machine aspects can be standardized. That would result in higher levels of compatibility within an electrified, multi-brand construction site, making adaptation and safe use easier. The foreseen topics of discussion therefore focus on increasing that interoperability and fostering cooperation within the value chain.
Signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) share the intention to make it possible for other likeminded parties to join this roundtable process after an initial incubation period. Results will be published along the way to benefit the development of the whole ZE construction market.
If you want to know more about this initiative or register your interest to join, please visit: https://www.emissieloosnetwerkinfra.nl/english/oem-roundtable