Breedon Group has announced a new electric vehicle trial. Image: Breedon Group
Breedon Group has announced it will take part in a fully electric ready-mix concrete vehicle in an “exciting development” for the company.
Breedon has a presence in the Great Britian, Ireland and the United States’ construction materials sectors. Its new initiative will be a three-month trial of the vehicle at its Raisby quarry in Durham.
Breedon has collaborated with Putzmeister and Zenobē to develop the vehicle as part of the company’s net-zero strategy. The company hopes the vehicle will deliver a substantially reduced carbon emissions rate to its operations.
“Our trial of the battery electric ready-mix vehicle is a major step forward in our decarbonisation journey and demonstrates our responsibility and ambition in embracing innovative solutions,” Breedon GB Materials managing director Mike Pearce said.
“Breedon is always looking for ways to evolve and utilise new technologies to reduce the impact of our products and services on the environment, communities and colleagues.
“Over the next three months, we look forward to working closely with our partners on this trial, and exploring how our findings can support greater change across the entire industry.”
The vehicle, an iONTRON eMixer, has an eight-hour run time without needing a recharge. The 9m3 drum is comparable to conventional mixers, resulting in operational performance comparable to Breedon’s existing internal combustion engine-powered fleet.
The custom-built vehicle is 100 per cent electric powered by a substantial 350kWh battery provided by SANY, the parent company of Putzmeister. Zenobē will monitor the operational performance of the vehicle and will provide the charging infrastructure; a 120 kWh free-standing DS Series charging unit that will be located at Breedon’s Raisby quarry.
“At SANY and Putzmeister we’re not just building machines reducing emissions, we’re building a cleaner future for people. Used in urban areas our eMixer will outperform diesel mixers on noise levels as well as TCO and we are very excited to bring this into action together with Breedon,” head of business development at SANY eTrucks Kevin Eichele said.
Breedon has said the findings of this trial could see the company further its adoption of electric vehicles across the quarrying and construction sectors.
“We know that data and analysis are crucial for successful electrification – from planning through delivery and operation,” Zenobe director and co-founder Steven Meersman said.
“This trial with Breedon Group, SANY and Putzmeister is another fantastic demonstration of the viability of heavy fleet electrification in the construction sector. Through collaboration we will gain shared insights that will further the electrification of the sector at speed and scale.”
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