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First: Volvo CE Electric equipment does the work, without disturbing the wildlife
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For the first time, battery-powered construction equipment is being used in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Volvo Construction Equipment has deployed an ECR25 Electric compact excavator and an L25 Electric compact wheel loader at Virginia’s Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The zero-emission machines are building a new accessible trail while aiming to limit disturbance to wildlife.
The project is a partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge protects grasslands, wetlands, and woods that support red foxes, painted turtles, osprey, river otters, and other rarely seen species. Conventional diesel machinery can bring exhaust, noise, and vibration to sensitive habitats.
The L25 Electric wheel loader is laying an ADA accessible path. The half-mile trail will let wheelchair users travel around one of the refuge’s ponds. The ECR25 Electric excavator is digging drainage trenches and helping place a viewing platform over the water.
A portable EV ARC solar-powered charging system from Beam Global supports the machines. The unit is designed to further reduce the project’s carbon footprint. It also avoids relying on a fixed power connection in the refuge.
Dr. Ray Gallant, Volvo CE’s VP of product management and productivity, said the partnership demonstrates the company’s commitment to lowering emissions. He said such projects offer a glimpse of how electric machines can create a more climate-friendly future for construction. The deployment tests electric equipment in a real-world public-land project.
The work matters because construction can be disruptive even at small scale. National wildlife refuges are managed for conservation as well as public access. Using quieter, zero-emission equipment may help balance those goals.
The Occoquan Bay project could inform future electric machinery use on protected lands. The partners are using the refuge as a demonstration site. If successful, the approach may expand to more projects that need low-impact construction.
