To lay new cables and, in doing so, interfere in the opening hours of shops in the pedestrian zone as little as possible – that was the city of Copenhagen’s task. For this reason, construction work was carried out predominantly at night or early in the morning. But how could this work without the noise level disturbing residents? The solution: only electrically operated and extremely quiet construction machines were used. A visit to a completely emission-free construction site.
A total construction site process – fully emission-free
Typical infrastructure measures in inner cities include laying power cables. In Copenhagen too, this task was in the plan. The special thing about this construction site: With zero emission products by Wacker Neuson, the entire process was carried out free of emissions, at an extremely low noise level.
First, the paving stones were broken up with the fully electric zero tail excavator EZ17e; then the soil was excavated. As the compact 1.5 metric ton excavator is in no way inferior to its brother, the fuel-powered EZ17, this task was completed quickly. Here, the very compact design of the battery-powered machine also paid off: no tail overhang, which might have restricted freedom of movement.
The resulting excavated material was transported away by the electric wheel dumper DW15e with a 1.5-metric ton payload – and, thanks to its quiet and emission-free working principle, was barely noticed by the residents and pedestrians in the area surrounding the construction site. The dumper was also impressive in the area of performance. When braking the machine or when driving downhill, the energy is fed back into the battery and used to charge the battery, which minimizes energy consumption. The integrated battery charger is easily connected to the charging station.
Also, the wheel loader WL20e was used for material transport on the construction site. The wheel loader is equipped with a high-quality AGM battery (Absorbent Glass Mat), which is characterized by particularly simple handling and low maintenance effort. With a variety of possible attachments, it is a flexible helper – for example, the pallet fork and a light materials bucket were ideal for the construction site in Copenhagen.
After the cables were laid in the pedestrian zone, the ground was compacted with battery-powered units, a vibratory rammer and a vibratory plate. For larger areas, the the battery-powered vibratory plate AP1850e was used, for confined spaces the battery-powered rammer AS50e. Both are operated with the same lithium-ion battery that is deployable as a module, which can be changed in no time. This battery was specially conceived for the hard work conditions of the construction industry. One battery charge is sufficient for typical applications in the course of a workday and, for the applications in Copenhagen, it provided enough energy. “Our experiences show that the zero emission machines are easy to use, require no special training and are just as reliable at work as the conventional machines”, says Peter Fritzbøger, Sales and Marketing Manager at the rental park GSV, who provided the executing contracting company with the zero emissions products by Wacker Neuson.
“Our experiences show that the zero emission machines are easy to use, require no special training and are just as reliable at work as the conventional machines.”
– Peter Fritzbøger, Sales and Marketing Manager at the rental park GSV
Expectations weren’t just met, they were exceeded
The goal of efficient, emission-free and extremely quiet construction work was implemented using the zero emissions line by Wacker Neuson. This is because: The city of Copenhagen’s noise measurements recorded no noise emissions of any kind produced by the construction machines – only garbage trucks with conventional engines driving past produced measurable values.
Glimpse into the future
There are more and more strict exhaust standards and laws for environment and user protection on the national and international levels. However, diesel-operated construction machines have undergone some changes: they now emit less CO2 than a passenger car. In the last 15 years, the emissions of diesel engines in the agricultural and construction machine sector have been reduced by 95 percent.
Wacker Neuson is proud to be a global brand. Products and services vary from country to country and may not be available in your local market.
We would be pleased if you share our article or leave us a comment!
