New cooperation electrifies construction sites in western Sweden

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

In a new ElectriCity project, several big actors are now taking concrete steps to electrify construction sites. With a focus on, among other things, building and construction projects and street maintenance, they will test how electric work machines can work in real environments in Gothenburg. Electrification in the sector is a central part of the adjustment required to achieve important environmental and climate goals.

The construction sector in Sweden has agreed on a joint roadmap with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2045. For this to be possible, electrification within the sector needs to be accelerated. This will also brings benefits in the form of reduced air pollution and lower noise levels.

In the Electric Worksite project, several actors in the ElectriCity collaboration are now joining forces to speed up the process, starting at several locations in the Gothenburg area. A clear focus will be on the system perspective where machines, energy storage and charging infrastructure will be tested in different environments to clarify technical and organizational challenges. Wheel loaders, wheeled excavators and crawler excavators of different sizes are a few of the machines that will be tested.

Twelve organizations stand behind the collaboration, with Volvo Construction Equipment, NCC, Chalmers, ABB and the City of Gothenburg as some of them. The project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency.

"Volvo Construction Equipment has a clear ambition to lead the transformation towards a more sustainable future in our industry and has a commitment to be fossil-free by 2040. For this to happen, we need to run projects like this together with our customers and other partners in society", says Carolina Diez Ferrer, responsible for advanced engineering at Volvo CE.

"This is a project that fits very well into NCC's sustainability work where we work, among other things, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions for our transports. The use of renewable electricity also makes it possible for us to improve the working environment during the construction process, and at the same time deliver a clear added value to our customers", says Christina Claeson-Jonsson, NCC, Head of Research & Innovation.

"The City of Gothenburg wants to push for the electrification of construction and civil engineering machines, not least in our own contracts. It is an important piece of the puzzle to achieve our goals of healthy living environments and reduced climate footprint", says Malin Andersson, head of the department for development and internationally.

Participating organisations: Volvo Construction Equipment, NCC, Göteborgs Stad, Chalmers University of Technology, Lindholmen Science Park, Göteborg Energi, Johanneberg Science Park, Göteborgs Stads Leasing, RISE Research institutes of Sweden, ABB Electrification Sweden, Riksbyggen, HSB Göteborg, Halmstad University