Volvo looks to standardize charging

(Photo courtesy of Volvo Construction Equipment)

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is making its 48 voltage DC protocol for electric charging solutions available in a bid to accelerate electrification and make it easier for customers with a multi-branded fleet.

The industry does not currently have a standard for 48V DC (direct current) charging solutions – the power required for electric compact machines – which means many customers need to source multiple different chargers if they have a multi-branded fleet.

In an effort to accelerate the electromobility transformation by helping the wider industry create more charging solutions based on a common protocol, Volvo CE has opted to publish its own brand-agnostic software protocol, as well as the plug specifications used on its 48V off-board DC chargers – with DC charging often commonly referred to as fast charging. This will enable other OEMs and suppliers to use the protocol and specifications in the development of their own charging solutions for compact machines.

“We want to contribute to a standardized, reliable and efficient electric ecosystem that makes it easy for our customers to go electric,” stated Fredrik Tjernström of Volvo CE. “By making our charging interface public, we hope that we will see more and more charging solution providers and other machine OEMs using one and the same charging protocol – moving us a step closer to an industry standard for the benefit of customers everywhere.”

A 48V power supply is designed for the smallest range of compact construction machines. For Volvo CE, this currently applies to its ECR18 Electric, EC18 Electric and ECR25 Electric compact excavators, L20 Electric and L25 Electric compact wheel loaders, and the DD25 Electric asphalt compactor.

For heavier equipment, the use of a 600V power supply is required, for which there is already an industry standard protocol.

www.volvoce.com