BAM Infra Nederland has commissioned Wirtgen and New Electric to convert an asphalt spreading machine into a fully-electric asphalt paver. The use of this machine is to save more than 93,000 kilograms of CO₂ and 115,000 grams of nitrogen oxide emissions.
The newly installed electric drive comprises two motors and a battery with 270 kWh. In addition, a second 270 kWh battery can be installed and also removed. Fully charged, the company claims, the electric asphalt paver can run for eight to ten hours and save around 150 litres of diesel over an eight-hour workday compared with the combustion engine variant.
BAM aims to have the first completely emission-free asphalt set on the road by mid-2022. Accordingly, the company had reportedly developed a purely electric road roller already in 2020. The heavy-duty machine had been converted from diesel to an electric drive for one and a half years.
According to the Dutch company, road rollers are particularly suitable for electrification because they do not require a long-range and, unlike other construction equipment, “only” need energy for driving and steering and not for energy-intensive heavy-duty tasks such as excavation work.
The partners left any plans for further commercialisation unmentioned.
bam.com
