Yolo County, California depends on its climate for continued agricultural success. Therefore, regional leaders take environmental care seriously by aiming to be completely carbon neutral by 2030. To help achieve that goal, they put zero emission machines like the Volvo DD25 Electric compactor to work.
We got our first chance to sample the DD25 Electric at Volvo Days last summer, where the electric tandem's rocking drums impressed dealers and users alike. It's no surprise then that when Yolo Country's fleet superintendent, Ben Lee, was shopping for a compactor the DD25 Electric was at the top of his list.
“The DD25 Electric will help us achieve our goals in many ways,” explained Lee. “By reducing emissions, reducing noise levels, being more energy efficient, improving working conditions and promoting environmentally friendly practices … we will use it to aggregate soil, gravel and other basic materials for road and foundation projects, as well as to spread and level asphalt during road construction and resurfacing.”
To help Lee handle those various projects, the Volvo's drum frequency can be changed from 3500 vpm (55 Hz) to 4000 vpm (67 Hz) to accommodate applications and materials.
The DD25 Electric offers other advantages, too – such as a 20 kWh 48V battery that provides between six and eight hours of continuous operation. That would be a few shifts in the kind of conditions Yolo's crew will encounter, meaning it would only have to sleep (Volvo recommends overnight AC charging) two or three times a week.
Getting power from the compactor, too, is something Yolo is thinking about. “There are remote areas in the region, so we are also looking at a portable, self-contained charging unit,” Lee explained, apparently referring to the Volvo PU130 mobile battery. “So we wouldn't have to take the machine back to the yard every night during a long operation.”
Yolo County views electric utilities as an important step in reducing carbon emissions and energy use, especially as communities work toward stricter regulations and sustainability goals.
Electrek's Take
This press release comes to us before the devastating wildfires in Southern California that are dominating the headlines right now – so much so that I've sat on the news for a few days, debating whether or not we should talk about California news. It's a story that has nothing to do with fires right now.
But I saw: this story is something about fires. Climate change caused by burning and releasing carbon dioxide is what causes climate change and that causes fires like this … and I should have started it sooner.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: Volvo CE.
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