PRODUCT FOCUS
Volvo CE
“ Each year , the Volvo Group invests billions of Swedish kronor in research and development to drive the evolution of new innovations .”
The company is laying its technology bets on autonomous vehicles and electrification , and aims to achieve 10 times higher efficiency through technology . “ Our challenge ,” says Weissburg , “ is what we are calling the triple-zero goals : zero unplanned stops , zero emissions , and zero accidents .”
Among Volvo CE ’ s innovations are the HX1 autonomous , battery-electric load carrier and the LX1 electric hybrid wheel loader . The prototype HX1 concept machine — part of an electric site research project that predicts up to a 95 % reduction in carbon emissions and up to a 25 % reduction in total cost of ownership — is an autonomous , battery electric load carrier . New technology encompasses machine and fleet control systems , as well as logistic solutions for electric machines in quarries .
The LX1 is a series hybrid that incorporates a driveline comprising electric drive motors mounted at the wheels , electric hydraulics , an energy storage system , a significantly smaller diesel engine , and new machine architecture — a combination with the potential to improve fuel efficiency by up to 50 %. The machine also offers a significant reduction in emissions and noise pollution compared to its conventional counterparts . Although the LX1 is currently a prototype that is part of a research project and is not commercially available ( although it is being field tested by the largest environmental services and recycling company in North America ), it definitively shows what can potentially be achieved with loaders in the future .
Volvo CE ’ s research engineers have also upgraded a standard L120 wheel loader with autonomous technology . In a one-hour comparison , the autonomous wheel loader was able to reach the equivalent of 70 % of a skilled operator ’ s productivity levels when loading and unloading . And this is not just theoretical . According to Volvo , the machine has also done real work for one of its customers at an asphalt plant in Sweden .
All in all , as one of the most widely used machines in the construction and mining industry , loaders are bound to continue to be a focus area for technological improvement over the coming years . And when we see how much has already been achieved ( albeit much of it still in the research phase ), we can catch a glimpse of just how different the jobsites of the future could be . ■
Volvo ’ s concept autonomous wheel loader loading up its concept autonomous articulated hauler .
Sources
1 . Limer , E . 2017 . This self-driving track loader can get down to business all by its dang self . Popular Mechanics , 19 October . https :// www . popularmechanics . com / technology / infrastructure / news / a28696 / built-robotics-autonomous-track-loader
2 . Simon , E . 2017 . This robot tractor is ready to disrupt construction . Wired , 19 October . https :// www . wired . com / story / this-robot-tractor-is-ready-to-disrupt-construction . 3 . SPARC . 2018 . What is SPARC ? https :// www . eu-robotics . net / sparc / about / index . html . 4 . Volvo CE . 2018 . Gryphin wheel loader concept : Agile , electric and intelligent . https :// www . volvoce . com / global / en / this-is-volvo-ce / what-we-believe-in / innovation / gryphin-wheel-loader-concept .
5 . Volvo CE . 2017 . LX1 prototype hybrid wheel loader delivers around 50 % fuel efficiency improvement during customer testing . https :// www . volvoce . com / global / en / news-and-events / news-and-press-releases / 2017 / lx1-prototype-hybrid-wheel-loader-delivers-50-percent-fuelefficiency-improvement .
GRYPHIN WHEEL LOADER CONCEPT
Volvo CE
The Gryphin concept loader represents what Volvo wheel loaders might look like come 2020 .
The Gryphin is a concept model wheel loader from Volvo CE that has been designed with the ideal of no harmful emissions in mind , and has managed to almost completely eradicate exhaust emissions , vibrations , and noise via its zero-emission electric hybrid engine and noiseless electrical wheel motors . Not only is the Gryphin cleaner and quieter , it boasts better performance too , and could potentially lead to energy savings of over 50 %. Unlike diesel engines , electrical motors have maximum torque from the instant they are turned on , and a regenerative power system means the batteries are recharged whenever the wheel loader brakes .
The lack of a traditional driveline and axles — replaced by electric motors inside each wheel — allows the adoption of intelligent independent suspension , which offers a more comfortable ride for the operator with fewer vibrations entering the cab and allows for variable ride height . The frame can be lowered for high-speed haul cycles , reducing the centre of gravity and making higher speeds possible with no loss of comfort or stability . The frame can also be raised , increasing ground clearance over rough ground and offering greater dump heights while maintaining stability , and the fully independent wheels allow it to literally ‘ climb ’ to dump its load .
The Gryphin also introduces a solid , yet light centre boom that improves lifting performance and reduces torsional stresses , while the absence of traditional front boom linkages allows operators a much better view of the work area . The all-round glazing and see-through lattice pillars of the cab also help to extend the operator ’ s view , and the intelligent glass heats up in cold weather to prevent frost or condensation and becomes darker in bright sunlight , effectively acting as giant sunglasses .
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MAY 2018