Pit & Quarry, July 2018

EQUIPMENT DESIGNING THE HAULER LOADER OF THE FUTURE Volvo CE offers updates about equipment prototypes during a trade press event in Newport Rhode Island 16 PIT QUARRY July 2018 pitandquarry com PHOTOS COURTESY OF VOLVO CE TOP KEVIN YANIK BOTTOM number of analysts expect oil to reach 100 a barrel levels this summer meaning fuel prices will rise and consumers will pay more at the pump Fleet managers running haul trucks excavators and loaders may feel pains tied to this in the coming months but what if diesel fuel was a non factor or a considerably smaller variable in an operations bottom line Volvo Group reps and customers are exploring these questions Theyre also exploring the next frontier for safety uptime emissions and efficiency through the Volvo Concept Lab The company provided updates about evolving technologies in the lab during a series of forward looking presentations held in conjunction with the 2017 18 Volvo Ocean Race in Newport Rhode Island It also offered details on two projects involving innovative technologies that could someday change the nature of load and haul THE ELECTRIC SITE Volvo Construction Equipments Volvo CE electric site project aims to electrify a transport stage in a quarry from excavation to primary crushing and transport to secondary crushing The project involves developing new machines work methods and site management systems Volvos HX2 the autonomous battery electric load carrier prototype is central to this project An HX2 prototype was present in Newport to reinforce the companys continued effort to bring solutions to the market that result in zero accidents zero downtime zero emissions and untapped efficiency The HX2 arrived last year on the heels of the HX1 incorporating shared technologies and components from the Volvo Group including electric motors batteries and power electronics The HX2 integrates a new drive train and a vision system that allows the machine to detect humans and obstacles in its vicinity Volvo CE plans to put the HX2 to the test this September The company partnered with Skanska a construction company that agreed to bring a series of HX2s into one of its many quarries in Sweden for a 10 week trial Volvo CE is committed to pushing boundaries and exploring the technology of the future says Jenny Elfsberg director of emerging technologies at Volvo CE The HX2 and the electric site project demonstrate how Volvo CE wants to work with its customers early in the BY KEVIN YANIK A The best way to achieve zero accidents is to remove operators from the environment where accidents occur Volvo CEs Erik Uhlin says Volvo CEs HX1 prototype above evolved into a second model that will be trialed in September at a quarry in Sweden