5-Axle Battery-Electric Cement Mixer From Renault Trucks

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Final Up to date on: twenty eighth February 2025, 01:07 pm

By now, everyone knows that there are firms on the market attempting to tame the large carbon emissions that consequence from making cement. They need to all be applauded for doing vital work. However how does all that low- or zero-carbon concrete get to job websites? In massive diesel-powered cement mixer vans, that’s how. Fairly frankly, these vans are so huge and so heavy that there actually has been no different to diesel energy, however now there’s. Renault Vehicles this week launched a completely electrical battery-powered cement mixer that may transport concrete with out these diesel emissions.

Does it value greater than a standard cement mixer? Positive it does, however there’s extra to the story. The Renault Vehicles cement mixer can haul a ten cubic meter (11 cubic yard) load. The usual for diesel-powered mixers is 8 cubic meters. Extra concrete means fewer journeys to the job web site. Fewer journeys imply decrease transportation prices. And, after all, electrical energy to cost the battery prices much less that diesel gasoline. Throw in decreased put on and tear on mechanical braking methods and the enterprise case for an electrical cement mixer will get even stronger.

Introducing An Electrical Cement Mixer

In a press release this week, Renault Vehicles, which is definitely owned by AB Volvo, mentioned that increasing battery electrical know-how to new enterprise purposes required the event of tailor-made options. Concrete transport, which calls for a excessive payload, is immediately impacted by battery weight. To reconcile operational effectivity, financial efficiency, and the crucial of decarbonization, Renault Vehicles and the German truck physique producer Schwing-Stetter have developed a two-part innovation — a battery-powered 5-axle chassis coupled with a battery-powered mixer mechanism that additional eliminates carbon emissions on the job web site. The Renault Vehicles E-Tech C, geared up with a completely electrical mixer, is able to carrying as much as 10 cubic meters of concrete. This car can be unveiled solely on the Schwing Stetter sales space through the subsequent version of the Bauma commerce honest from April 7 to 13, 2025, in Munich, Germany.

French producer Renault Vehicles, a pioneer in electromobility that provides probably the most intensive vary of decarbonized transport options on the European market, and German truck producer Schwing Stetter, a pacesetter in concrete transport methods, have mixed their experience. Collectively, they’ve developed a 100% electrical resolution that gives a zero-emission different for development trade professionals.

Concrete transport requires a excessive payload for each technical and financial causes. For instance, a diesel truck geared up with a standard mixer can carry as much as 8 cubic meters of concrete in most European nations, relying on nationwide laws. The transition to electrical, as a result of battery weight, reduces this capability. To deal with this, Renault Vehicles designed a singular five-axle mannequin: the Renault Vehicles E-Tech C hat is able to carrying as much as 10 m3 of concrete.

5 Axles And A Brief Wheelbase

Regardless of having an extra axle, this truck maintains wonderful maneuverability, which is crucial for navigating city environments and accessing restricted development websites. Because of a redesigned structure — together with the vertical repositioning of the batteries behind the cab — the revised chassis area permits for a brief wheelbase and a decreased turning radius. As well as, Schwing Stetter has developed a completely electrical concrete mixer, immediately powered by the truck’s batteries. This built-in resolution permits zero CO2 emissions throughout operation.

With a spread of as much as 140 km with a 45-minute intermediate cost (or 110 km on a single cost), this truck can full 4 day by day journeys of 35 km, a distance nicely suited to typical routes between concrete vegetation and development websites. Renault Vehicles helps its clients in deciding on the proper variety of batteries and optimizing the charging technique, which avoids oversizing that might cut back payload capability, improve whole working prices, and unnecessarily enlarge the environmental footprint. Because of optimum battery sizing, elevated payload capability, and decrease power prices, this new electrical car ensures a aggressive value per transported cubic meter of concrete in comparison with diesel fashions, whereas complying with the strictest environmental laws.

The Renault Vehicles E-Tech C can be obtainable in Switzerland, Eire, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Finland, and Slovakia, the place laws enable five-axle inflexible vans to function at as much as 42 tonnes (topic to nationwide laws). Renault Vehicles is advocating for the harmonization of European laws to speed up the adoption of electrical know-how for concrete transport. With this joint innovation, Renault Vehicles and Schwing Stetter reaffirm their dedication to decarbonizing transport whereas assembly the productiveness and competitiveness necessities of the concrete trade.

That is fairly massive information, truly. Lowering the carbon affect of the development trade is a vital a part of adapting to the brand new realities of a planet that’s rising hotter. Zero-emissions concrete delivered in a zero-emissions cement mixer? That may be a vital achievement value celebrating, however it’s not the first electric cement mixer ever made. 5 years in the past, my colleague Jo Borras reported on a five-axle battery-powered mixer from Switzerland’s Leibherr. He freely admitted the thought of an electrical mixing drum was tough for him to understand.

“I barely understand how the conventional hydraulic drums work,” he wrote. The electrical ones, in the meantime, appear fairly easy. Electrons spin the factor, the factor mixes the stuff, the stuff comes out. I get it. Fortunately, Liebherr explains a few of the advantages of electrification just like the consultants that they’re, writing that, “For the first time, both the truck and the truck mixer body are powered jointly by the traction battery, eliminating the need for costly power electronics components. The new Liebherr Generation 05 electrified body offers further advantages. The compact electric drive for the mixing drum is flanged directly to the drum and its high efficiency ensures that power consumption for relieving the traction battery of the Futuricum truck remains low.”

Leibherr claims different benefits, too. “The ETM 1005 also eliminates the need for any hydraulic equipment. Liebherr’s truck mixer body boasts a low net weight combined with good transport volume, a long service life due to its special wear-resistant steel and the ergonomic design of the operation system and access points,” writes Emily Thomas of World Cement. “A platform system on both sides allows flexible positioning and attachment of accessories or attachments to suit customer requirements.” Jo, in his personal inimitable manner, added, “Who even knew World Cement was a magazine!?” A superb level. Maybe the editorial workers right here at CleanTechnica must get out from behind our computer systems and expertise the skin world extra typically.