Leading French contractor Eiffage has taken delivery of an all-electric Volvo FE Electric truck and a Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator – becoming the first recipient of the products in France.

December 17 saw the delivery of the Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) machine and the first all-electric Volvo FE truck in France, which will accelerate the long-term transformation to more sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions, explains long-term Volvo customer Eiffage Group CEO Benoit de Ruffray.

The truck and compact excavator support Eiffage’s low carbon strategy and will be used to work on the Grand Paris Express transport project in the French capital.

De Ruffray points out that the rapid transit initiative being built in the French capital will add 200 km of new track and 68 new stations, ultimately serving two-million passengers a day.

The handover of Volvo Trucks and Volvo CE’s first all-electric products was marked with a small ceremony in Paris, France.

It was attended by De Ruffray and representatives of Volvo Truck and Volvo CE’s France-based teams.

As a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions, Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt, Volvo CE president Melker Jernberg and Volvo Trucks president Roger Alm participated digitally.

“By 2030, we want over a third of the machines that the Volvo Group sells to be electric. We cannot do this alone, we want to do this together with our customers, our partners such as Eiffage and the wider society. This is an exciting landmark on this journey to shape the future of transport and infrastructure,” says Lundstedt.

He points out that the deliveries of this electric truck and construction machine is the start of a revolution in transport and infrastructure solutions.

“Make no mistake, electric machines are not going to remain a niche product area. Over the course of the next years and decades they will become the dominant source of low-or-no emission power. “When coupled with clean energy, their potential to support climate change goals, improve air quality and help build the world we all want to live in cannot be underestimated. I’m pleased that we are starting this journey with friends such as Eiffage,” adds Jernberg.

Alm states that the support from forward-thinking customers like Eiffage is important for the future development of sustainable transport solutions.

“Keeping a close dialogue with customers means that we all learn faster and together can accelerate the necessary transition into a fossil-free future.”

This first delivery in France represents – for both Volvo CE and Volvo Trucks – an important and real step on the way to zero emissions.

Owing to their low noise and vibration levels, and their absence of exhaust gases, electric trucks and machines are well suited to meeting tough environmental regulation in urban areas, confined spaces, or specific works. The machines offer new opportunities for urbanisation as well as road infrastructures, notes De Ruffray.

De Ruffray highlights that the Volvo FE Electric 6 × 2 truck was built at Volvo’s Blainville sur Orne plant in France. It will be used to deliver and collect tools and spare parts for demolition works of Part 1 – line 16 and Part T2B of line 15 of the Grand Paris Express project. It will do about 150 km/day – all of them with zero exhaust emissions.

The Volvo ECR25 Electric compact excavator, will be used by Eiffage in support of demolition and dismantling activities, again with zero carbon dioxide emissions and far lower noise and vibration levels than traditional diesel engine machines.

The 2.5 t machine has the same performance as its diesel counterpart, and its battery pack offers four hours work time, depending on application. The Volvo ECR25 Electric was developed and built at Volvo CE’s Belley factory in France, De Ruffray concludes.