Volvo CE Electric Design Wins Red Dot Award
BY Volvo CE
Volvo L120 Electric wheel loader’s modern design helps secure Red Dot award for Volvo CE
A global team of Volvo engineers and designers picked up a Red Dot Product Design award for the L120 Electric at an awards ceremony July 8. The sleek shape of the battery-electric machine offers a contrast to the industry’s “boxy” diesel wheel loaders. The design supports improved visibility, safety and sustainability and is the first of its kind within Volvo’s broad portfolio of electric solutions.
The quality and design of the L120 Electric wheel loader won over an international judging panel to scoop a coveted Red Dot Product Design award at the annual ceremony in Essen, Germany in July. The Red Dot is one of the world’s largest design competitions and it recognizes outstanding achievements in product and industrial design.
The machine’s modern look was the result of a year of bold thinking by technology and design teams from Jinan in China, and Eskilstuna and Gothenburg in Sweden. This award achievement is therefore a testament to the power of global collaboration.
The new shape ensures excellent all-round visibility for the operator.
New Look Enhances Visibility
Peter Reuterberg, Senior Chief Advanced Designer for Volvo CE, said: “I’m happy we won this award but I’m especially happy that we won it for this machine. The change from diesel to electric gave us the opportunity to think differently and strive for big impact. Our hope is that this new silhouette will be instantly recognizable as electric.”
The streamlined frame of the electric loader is made possible because of the removal of a combustion engine. The result is a transformation from a boxy rear end into a sleeker shape for the new era of electric.
If designers replaced the combustion engine with larger-in-size batteries, this would have not only created a “bulkier” shape but would have also reduced visibility from the cab. As wheel loaders are designed to be driven both forwards and backwards in equal measure, all-round visibility is crucial to their safe and efficient operation.
Instead, engineers and designers worked together on a solution to integrate the batteries into the counterweight of the machine. The heavy weight of a battery is often seen as a problem in electric machine design, but in this case, the battery is being used to replace a concrete counterweight required for wheel loaders.
The result is a machine that provides enhanced visibility, safety and sustainability.
Annie Gao, Product Platform Engineer at the Jinan Technology Center, Volvo CE China, said, “When we debuted the machine it marked a significant breakthrough, truly capturing the spirit of an electric vehicle. It is our relentless pursuit of innovation, close attention to detail, and commitment to quality that made this possible.”