Sweden’s Volvo Trucks and German concrete pumps manufacturer Putzmeister unveiled one of the world’s largest battery-electric concrete boom pump trucks at bauma, a leading construction and mining machinery and equipment exhibition, held last month in Munich, Germany.

The zero-exhaust emission battery-electric concrete pump with a reach of 42 m was developed by the two companies in response to a request from Swedish construction company Swerock.

Using the traditional solution for pumping concrete, a diesel truck needs to be in operation during the pumping, causing exhaust emissions and noise. With the all-electric pump truck, it’s possible to drive up to 50 km and then pump approximately 50 cu m of concrete without any need for charging, says Volvo Trucks

For longer distances, or for larger quantities of concrete, a Combined Charging System (CCS) charging solution can be installed at the site, and it’s possible to keep pumping the concrete while the truck is being recharged.

The zero-exhaust emission battery-electric concrete pump has a reach of 42 m.

“Volvo Trucks is the innovator when it comes to new technologies in combination with electric trucks. After presenting electric concrete mixers and heavy applications for mining, we have shown yet another world-class innovation for the construction segment at bauma. We believe in cooperation to move forward, and one example of this was displayed in Germany together with Putzmeister,” says Christoph Fitz, Head of Sales at Volvo Trucks in Germany.

 “With this electric pump truck, customers can have a zero-exhaust emission solution, low-noise operation and an efficient process, thanks to the work-while-charging capacity,” he adds.

With the new battery-electric pump truck, Volvo Trucks can offer construction customers a completely electric alternative for the handling of concrete – transporting, mixing and pumping.

Volvo started series production of electric trucks in 2019, while the company’s product portfolio enables decarbonisation of the entire flow within construction transport including transport trucks, cement mixers, concrete pumps, tippers, cranes and hook lifts.

Volvo is a global leader in the battery-electric truck segment with a share of sales of battery-electric trucks of around 50 per cent in Europe, a leading position in North America and deliveries of more than 4,900 electric trucks around the world, many to customers in the construction industry.

The all-electric boom pump truck, a Volvo FM Electric 8x4 Rigid Tag Tridem, employs two electric motors delivering a continuous 330 kW of power, managed by an I-Shift gearbox. Its energy is supplied by a 360 kWh battery system, with 250 kWh available for use. Charging adheres to the CCS2 standard, supporting both 63 and 32 amp connections, and allowing charging while the concrete pump is operational. It handles AC charging up to 43 kW and DC charging up to 250 kW. The truck’s gross weight is 32 tonnes, distributed across its four axles.