Tandem Electric Compaction

Two of the OEMs who introduced battery-operated machinery during CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 were BOMAG Americas, headquartered in Ridgeway, South Carolina, and Wirtgen Group, with American headquarters in Antioch, Tennessee. Of the offerings at their booths, attendees could’ve seen tandem rollers with that “e” designation.

Bomag’s compact BW 100 AD e-5 electric tandem roller hits the 2.5-ton class commercial roller market with a 39.4-inch rolling width and is designed for parking lot, driveway, asphalt repair and soil compaction work. It features a low-voltage, 48V system with 25-kWh Li-Ion batteries. With its recuperative system, energy is recovered during braking, converting mechanical energy back into electrical.

The new BW 100 AD e-5 offers flexible plug and charging options to meet the customer’s needs.

The new tandem roller’s e-PERFORMANCE system is equipped with two electric motors—one dedicated to travel and the other for steering and vibration. A 26.8-hp electric motor propels the front and rear driven drums at working speeds of 0-3.1 mph and travel speeds reaching 6.2 mph. When traveling, the roller only uses one motor to conserve energy consumption.

The roller offers two vibration frequencies of 3,900 and 3,360 vpm (64 and 54 Hz) with a single amplitude of 0.20 inch, generating 7,194 and 5,395 pounds (32 and 24 kN) centrifugal force. Its intelligent vibration control (IVC) helps operators to know when compaction has been optimized to save on passes.

For more information, visit https://www.bomag.com/us-en/machinery/categories/asphalt-rollers/bw-100-ad-e-5-88075/.

The team at the Wirtgen booth shared information about its new HD 10e and HD12e tandem roller, saying, “Hamm delivers the first fully electric, battery-driven, tandem rollers. The models form part of the HD compact line series.”

A spokesperson explained that the series follows other roller family trends with drum configuration flexibility. “Some models are fitted with oscillation drums including the world’s first e-combination roller featuring oscillation. Not only is compacting with these emission-free, it’s also ultra quiet.”

The Hamm HD 12e was on display at the Wirtgen/John Deere booth during CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023. 

Product specialist Tim Kowalski spoke further about the drum configurations, reminding us the equipment can compact forward with vibration on the front drum and oscillation on the back, then change modes with the flip of a switch so the machine still provides vibration on the leading drum and oscillation on the trailing drum as the operator rolls in reverse.

The new HD 10e and 12e feature a 48V lithium battery, hydraulic pumps, and all electric motors. The machines have been released in Europe first and are set to be made available in North America later in 2023.

For more information, check with your local Hamm equipment dealer.