FM Conway trials new service that recharges small plant in one hour
Using mobile charging vans to top up electric construction plant looks set to ease contractor downtime anxiety on jobs.
FM Conway and Transport for London are trialling the method of bringing the charger to the vehicle on a handful of road junction jobs in the capital.
They have found that developments in how vehicles on construction sites are powered and charged could revolutionise how the capital’s transport network is built, ensuring London is greener and healthier.
British electric charging start-up Charge Fairy has demonstrated that small electric excavators and wheel loaders can be recharged in as little as one hour.
Volvo machines used on the jobs are able to provide real-time updates on the machines’ charging levels when on-site, which feeds to the Charge Fairy team who can then send a charging van to the site.
Early data from the trial confirms that in a two-week period, the electric excavator saved more than 100kg of CO2, equivalent to driving a car 600km.
Matt Tallon, Sustainability Director at FM Conway said: “This bespoke charging solution removes many of the barriers we have faced in the use of electric plant machinery, and we’ve seen from the works on Redcliffe Gardens that it represents a viable option for similar sites in future.”
Ed Lea, Founder of Charge Fairy, said: “As pioneers in mobile charging as a service, we’re excited to bring Charge Fairy technology to construction.
“We’ve long advocated that bringing energy to electric vehicles can make more sense than taking the vehicle to a charger—nowhere is this more true than with construction equipment.
“Our work at Redcliffe Gardens with TfL, Conway, and Volvo CE has demonstrated how intelligent energy delivery enables electric plant to operate for a full workday, overcoming one of the key challenges of construction electrification.”
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