Concrete Technology

Meet the new electric truck mixers

Construction and mining machinery manufacturers are stepping up the clean energy game with the launch of electric concrete mixers.

Photo Credit: Liebherr

LIEBHERR AND DESIGNWERK have developed the first fully electric truck mixers with 10 and 12 cubic metres drums on a fiveaxle chassis.

The new ETM 1005 and 1205 truck mixers on a chassis from Futuricum can transport large quantities of concrete to the construction site quietly and reliably without exhaust emissions. Since distances from the concrete plant to the construction site are relatively short compared to freight traffic, this allelectric solution is particularly well suited for this application.

Moreover, the vehicles return to the concrete plant again and again, where there is a charging infrastructure for the batteries. Thanks to large accumulator capacities, charging the batteries is normally only necessary overnight.

The drum drive developed by Liebherr and ZF consists of a lowmaintenance and efficient unit of electric motor and mixer gearbox. For the first time, both the truck and the truck mixer body are powered jointly by the traction battery, eliminating the need for costly power electronics components. The new Liebherr Generation 05 electrified body offers further advantages. The compact electric drive for the mixing drum is flanged directly to the drum, and its high efficiency ensures that power consumption for relieving the traction battery of the Futuricum truck remains low. It also eliminates the need for any hydraulic equipment – no hose connections, no pump, and therefore no risk of leakage.

Liebherr's truck mixer body features a low net weight combined with the best possible transport volume, a long service life thanks to its special wearresistant steel and the

Photo Credit: Sany Environmentally‐friendly concrete transport with the Liebherr ETM 1205 on a Futuricum chassis.

ergonomic design of the operation system and access points.

The first operations are planned for Holcim and KIBAG in Switzerland.

Traditional concrete mixing goes green

Sany has unveiled a full battery electric version of its truck mixers, scheduled to be under the spotlight at bauma CHINA 2020.

The lightweight designed model is equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors with maximum 350 kW in power output and 2,800 N·m in torque, remarkably outperforming dieselpowered vehicle. The highenergydensity LFP batteries supply sufficient energy for the motion and mixing activities of the vehicle, enabling a NEDCrated driving range of 250km. Sany has partnered with a leading battery supplier to augment the power source with thermal management technology, anti rollover structure, and fireproof protection system.

Other features of the vehicle include selfheating function in lowtemperature environments and advanced cooling system in hightemperature conditions, so the truck is versatile under a wide scope of work conditions. In addition, Truck Line, an IoT platform dedicated for Sany vehicles, provides productivityenhancing functions, such as realtime monitoring, performance analysis and remote diagnosis. ■