A fleet of all-electric construction machines from Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Trucks has delivered a landmark project in sustainable urban development, powering the world’s first fully electric deconstruction site in Erlangen, Germany, in collaboration with technology company Siemens and Metzner Recycling. Instead, it came about through collaboration between Volvo and Metzner, and was enthusiastically received by Siemens. Indoors, the compact excavator and wheeled loader operated safely and quietly – supported by a Husqvarna DXR145/DXR305 demolition robot – eliminating emissions and the need for air filtration systems and speeding up demolition tasks. Outside, bigger electric machines dismantled, crushed and loaded materials directly into a Kleemann electric crusher and screening plant, with a Volvo FM Electric hook lift and a Volvo FH Electric semi tractor from Volvo Trucks transporting materials off-site. Operating on an active campus – with nearby offices still in use – the low-noise performance of the electric machines proved a major advantage, minimising disruption while maintaining productivity.