The Volvo Construction Equipment teams from Sweden and South Korea have been quietly collaborating with the Finnish company Norrhydro to develop an electric hydraulic system, which is expected to significantly reduce energy loss and improve the fuel efficiency of excavators.

The hydraulic accumulator (shown at the rear of the excavator) captures and stores hydraulic power for later use, thereby enhancing performance and reducing fuel consumption.

In a manner similar to a common rail fuel system, all the working functions of the excavator are connected to the hydraulic accumulator through a common pressure rail and two or more pressure lines. These accumulators can recover kinetic energy and peak power that would otherwise be lost in traditional systems. For cylinder-driven work, "smart actuators" convert hydraulic power into variable force and speed. The energy recovery through this system also improves the performance and efficiency of the machine's swing function. All this energy efficiency translates into a smaller engine and cooling system doing the same work as a larger system, ultimately resulting in more work being done with less fuel and fewer greenhouse gases. In addition, as available power increases, cycle times can be shortened, for example when loading trucks, which helps improve overall work efficiency and bring cost-effectiveness to contractors.

Volvo is currently conducting customer trials on site and expects to accelerate the introduction of this system on Volvo Construction Equipment's large excavator platform, which will be launched soon. The new electro-hydraulic system is part of Volvo's electric vehicle program, aiming to improve fuel efficiency and achieve the company's ultimate goal of net-zero emissions operations.