BAM claims world’s first electric road roller

Dutch contractor Royal Bam has completed work on what it claims is the world’s first fully electric road roller.

The 10-to-12-tonne vehicle was developed from an older model over a year and half, and has been deployed on site in the Dutch city of Almere.

A roller is a relatively easy vehicle to electrify as it does not have to perform repetitive heavy lifting or prolonged excavation, and does not require a long driving range.

The electric vehicle’s carbon emissions are reduced by approximately 236kg per day, a reduction of 42,000kg a year compared with a petrol or diesel-powered roller. A full charge takes three to five hours, and will last eight hours.

Koob Bovenhuis, BAM Infra Materieel’s manager, said: "This has been an incredible achievement and a fine example of the expertise and can-do mindset of our people.

"From the initial idea during a strategy session, it’s taken us just one-and-a-half years to make the electric road roller a reality."

Bam plans to use the roller on more projects in the future, and is working on creating a fully emission-free paving train.

Images courtesy of BAM Infra Nederland