Electric vehicles are the future. Many manufactures have pledged to only make electric vehicles and do away with petrol and diesel within the next ten years. This move is to help towards the environment and to ensure that cars become more sustainable.
Construction vehicles are often diesel and therefore produce the largest number of harmful emissions. They often require large engines to ensure they have the power need to carry heavy loads around or to cover long distances. With electric cars, the downside is that at present the batteries do not last that long, meaning that they have to be charged on a regular basis. This may not be feasible for construction vehicles, so until these batteries are improved, it is unlikely to be rolled out to these types of vehicles.
Another advantage of electric vehicles is the noise level. Electric cars can almost be completely silent when driving along. Construction vehicles are renowned for causing a lot of noise pollution which can not only be a inconvenience to near by residences but also cause hearing problems for workers later on in life. If construction vehicles became electric, then it would mean that they could work longer hours into the night and the early morning without disrupting other residents.
There are a number of technical advantages to using electric vehicle on a construction site. Rather than some of the energy being wasted as heat, like in diesel or petrol engines, this energy can be recaptured and used again so far less is wasted.
Although there are a number of different experiments going on with electric construction vehicles there is still a little way to go. It is likely that the new vehicles will cost a fair amount to buy so many construction companies may not be able to afford to replace their whole fleet in one go. It is likely that there will be a phasing in period to allow for older machinery to be replaced with electric as it becomes unusable.
As more and more pressure is mounted on world leaders to do something about the impact we are having on the environment, it is likely hat more money is going to be invested in these types of vehicles and hopefully it wont be long before we are able to get a reliable, electric battery that is suitable for running construction vehicles for long periods of time.