Electric vehicles don’t work well in the cold? Nobody told Volvo CE – and they’re putting a fleet of battery electric equipment assents to work, collaborating with Sweden’s largest ski resorts to go fully fossil free.
Volvo CE has been working on a pilot project with Swedish resort company SkiStar to develop a roadmap towards more sustainable, fossil-free ski resorts. The project is intended to show that climate-neutral construction projects are possible when applying holistic decarbonization solutions to job sites.
A Volvo L25 Electric wheel loader and PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with an integrated charger from Volvo Energy are being used alongside other electrified vehicles (including a fleet of Taiga electric snowmobiles) at the Hammarbybacken ski resort outside of Stockholm, putting the entirety of Volvo’s electric ecosystem, and the challenges each component is facing, in the spotlight.
“The pilot project is intended to show that it is possible to make ski resorts more sustainable and provide a more enjoyable experience for everyone,” says Mats Bredborg, Head of Customer Cluster Utility. “Zero emissions and low noise are better for the environment and for people. Electric solutions are also ideal for use in sensitive and tranquil locations like ski resorts. At the end of the day, if we want to ensure winter sports are still around for future generations to enjoy, then we all need to play our part.”
Collaboration is key
“We believe collaboration is the way forward to deliver the transformation that is required, transitioning away from a brown platform that relies on fossil fuels to a green platform,” explains Niklas Wahlberg, VP Partnership and System Solutions at Volvo Group. “We need to do this at pace and at scale.”
SkiStar says its electric solutions will be tested out for the remainder of the ski season. The company hopes its experience will enable it to better understand how they might fit into future operations, and provide valuable insights for other ski resorts curious about EVs.
Electrek’s Take
Taiga’s introduction of electric snowmobiles as rescue rides on avalanche-prone slopes was a masterstroke. The Swedish mountains and Swiss Alps are perfect places to highlight the advantages baked into silent, vibration-free equipment, and the addition of electric construction equipment into the resort space just takes that to the next level by ensuring that the big machines don’t disturb the snow – and don’t disturb the guests, either!
To put it another way: luxury is better when it’s quiet and doesn’t smell like diesel exhaust.