Get FinancingVolvo CE Previews New Generation Of Crawler Excavators With Pre-Production EC500
Volvo Construction Equipment recently showed a pre-production version of its upcoming EC500 crawler excavator at the ConExpo-Con/Agg trade show in Las Vegas. The 55-ton (50-metric-ton) EC500, a successor to the company’s EC480E model, is designed for faster cycle times and increased fuel efficiency. It has a new cab design and an enhanced operator interface, including safety features such as Volvo Smart View with Obstacle Detection. Volvo CE will initiate production of the EC500 in Q4 2023 in South Korea for that market as well as North American and European customers.
“We’re excited to share the first look at our next-generation excavator,” said Volvo CE North America President Stephen Roy. “A pre-production model, there will be some differences to the appearance of the EC500 that will be available to our customers, but it gives an insight into the future, with enhanced safety, operability, and productivity.”
Greater Hydraulic Control
Volvo says the EC500 will partner well with the company’s A25G to A35G articulated haulers. The crawler will be a natural fit in applications such as building and road construction, utilities work, quarry and aggregates work, agriculture, and landscaping, according to the manufacturer.
The EC500’s cabin has a new layout and features such as a high-definition Co-Pilot display, keyless engine start, and wired and wireless mobile phone charging. The operator can use its new electric joysticks to control the hydraulic pumps for the boom and the tracks separately for higher performance, a smoother ride, better controllability, and other benefits, and can save hydraulic settings by application for later use. A Comfort Driver Control feature lets the operator steer and move forward and backward with the joysticks.
The new EC500 also includes greater cooling capacity for operation in hotter environments. Also, the service intervals for its hydraulic oil and filter have been extended from 2,000 to 3,000 hours to save on service expenses and to reduce downtime.
New Safety Developments
Among the safety features included with the EC500 are three-point access guard rails and a top handrail that folds for transport. Another is Volvo Smart View with Obstacle Detection, which uses an improved, 360-degree camera system to give the operator a view in all directions. The system also incorporates new radar technology that alerts the driver when the machine nears an obstacle. The Obstacle Detection feature is intelligent enough to tell objects from humans, Volvo says.
“At Volvo CE we continue to proactively develop intelligent solutions to improve safety and avoid accidents on the jobsite, so the addition of Volvo Smart View with Obstacle Detection is another important step towards our vision for zero accidents,” said Roy.
Assistive Technology
“With the EC500 and our next generation of excavators, we are utilizing new technologies to help operators work more productively and with more speed, precision, and consistency, to help them get the job done every time,” said Sejong Ko, product manager for Excavators at Volvo CE North America.
Available options for the new EC500 include the Volvo Dig Assist operator coaching app. Volvo Dig Assist is a suite of tools that improves accuracy by obviating the need to mark out a site and check depths and grades manually. The suite includes the Volvo Active Control automated grading system in its debut appearance in an excavator the size of the large EC500. Also available from the factory is the Volvo Lift Assist feature, which the operator can access through the Co-Pilot display in the cabin.
Source: Volvo