Yolo County, California, depends on its climate for continued agricultural success. As such, county leaders are taking environmental stewardship seriously by aiming for overall carbon neutrality through 2030. For this goal, they use zero-emission machines such as the Volvo DD25 electric compactor.
We got our first chance to sample the DD25 Electric at Volvo Days last summer, where the all-electric tandem roller’s vibrating drums impressed dealers and end users alike. It was no surprise, then, that when Yolo Country fleet superintendent, Ben Lee, when shopping for a compactor the DD25 Electric was high on his list.
“The DD25 Electric will help us achieve our goals in several ways,” says Lee. “By reducing emissions, reducing noise levels, being more energy efficient, improving operating situations and selling environmentally friendly practices. . . we will use it to compact soil, gravel and other base fabrics for road projects and bases, as well as to implement and level asphalt road structure and resurfacing.
The DD25 Electric offers other benefits, as well – like a 20 kWh 48V battery that offers up between six and eight hours of continuous operation. That’s could be several shifts in the kind of conditions Yolo’s work crews will encounter, meaning it will only have to get put to bed (Volvo recommend overnight AC charging) two or three times a week.
Getting power to the compactor, too, is something Yolo is considering. “There are some remote areas in the county, so we’re looking into a mobile, self-contained charging unit as well,” explains Lee, apparently referencing the Volvo PU130 mobile battery. “So we wouldn’t have to bring the machine back to the yard each night during a long-term project.”
Yolo County views electric equipment as an essential step in reducing emissions and energy consumption, especially as communities work towards stricter regulations and sustainability goals.
This press release came to us ahead of the devastating wildfires in Southern California that have been dominating the headlines lately, to the point that I sat in front of the news for a few days, wondering whether or not we deserve to mention the California news. a story that rarely deals much with fires right now.
But I realized: this story is about fires. Climate change caused by burning and carbon emissions is driving climate change and this makes fires like these possible. . . and I’ve done it before.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo CE.
I have been working in and around the automotive industry since the ’90s and have written for several well-known media outlets such as CleanTechnica, The Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can catch me on The Heavy Equipment Podcast with Mike. Switzer, at the AutoHub Show with Ian and Jeff, or chasing my kids around Oak Park, Illinois.