Volvo CE invests in electric excavator firm

Volvo CE has announced it has taken a majority investment in Dutch equipment manufacturer, Limach, which produces electric excavators for the domestic market.

Electric tracked excavators from Dutch manufacturer Limach. Photo: Volvo CE

The Swedish giant says the move allows it to broaden its electromobility portfolio, adding to the five electric compact machines it has already brought to the market.

The current Limach range - including what the company claims was the first electric excavator on the Dutch market - runs from the compact E18.3 electric mini excavator with an operating range of 1,810kg to the E140.1, with an operating weight of over 14,000 kg.

Following Volvo’s investment in Electric Special Technics – which operates under the name Limach – the company will also customise Volvo CE’s wheeled and crawler excavators, with its own Li-Ion battery technology.

Thomas Bitter, Head of Technology at Volvo CE, said, “…we believe collaborating in new ways is key to meet the growing demand for sustainable solutions.

“As a leader in electric construction solutions, we see Limach as an interesting actor in a progressive market, and a great complement to our existing portfolio of electric machines, meaning our customers will benefit from a broader range to suit their requirements.

He added, “Working together, and with our combined customer base, opens opportunities for co-learning and expanding experiences of these types of solutions, as we continue driving the transformation towards sustainable power sources.”

Moving forward, Volvo says the investment will lead to a number of its machines having their diesel engines replaced by Limach’s electrification kits.

Rens de Bruijn, CEO at Limach, said, “Limach was established with the purpose to develop construction equipment with an electric drive. Each machine is custom-made at our production facility in Ede in the Netherlands and delivered according to customer specifications.

“Since the development of our first demonstrator excavator in 2017, we have seen growing demand from customers in the Netherlands. Thanks to the investment from Volvo CE, we can scale-up production of our electric excavators and extend the range we offer to meet this growing appetite for electric drives.”