GOMACO showed the world the first battery-powered curb and gutter slipform paver last week at World of Concrete 2022 in Las Vegas.
The prototype CC-1200e is still being tested, and after the show, it traveled to Tennessee for about three weeks of paving tests, according to Mark Brenner, GOMACO manager of controls engineering.
“We've done a lot of dry runs,” Brenner said at the show.
The prototype is based on the company’s diesel-powered CC-1200 Curb Cadet. “We took the diesel motor out of there, replaced it with a battery pack,” he says. “So we can get that full day of pavement with a fully electric machine. And our full day, as far as paving curb and gutter, is somewhere between four and six hours of actual true 100% duty cycle.”
It runs on a 48-volt, direct-current lithium-ion battery pack.
GOMACO is testing its prototype battery-powered CC-1200e curb and gutter slipform paver.GOMACO
“We have a theoretical flow of your travel, your steering, elevation, what those components take,” he explains. “We know exactly the amount that's going through the valve, and we spin the electronic motor to match that. We try to stay as efficient as possible.”
The motor can run as high as 2,500 rpm. It can drop down to 500 or 1,000 rpm when high flow isn’t needed.
In contrast to its diesel counterpart, the CC-1200e produces no noise or emissions and reduces vibrations, the company says. It has two different types of charging systems. The slower charger, say for overnight charging, takes six to eight hours to get from 20% to 100% charged.
There is also a fast charger that can get from 20% to 100% charged in about two hours.
The CC-1200e is also equipped with a mounted 110-volt vibrator with variable control.
The CC-1200e is operated by GOMACO's G+ handheld wireless remote control.Equipment World
The CC-1200e also features rotary-sensored slew drive steering on the front wheel assemblies for smoother paving, easier control and greater turning capability, GOMACO says. That enables it to slipform as tight as a 24-inch radius, depending on the mold profile, the company says.
It comes with a hopper capacity of 19 cubic feet, and 15 inches of horizontal sliding capabilities for aligning with ready-mix trucks. The hopper auger is 12 inches in diameter and 5.5 feet long, able to move concrete at speeds of 43 rpm.
The CC-1200e can pave on the left or right side. The variable-speed electric vibrator coordinates with the stop switch for automatic on/off vibrator control and is synchronized with the paver’s travel. The rear track and two front-wheel assemblies allow up to 93 feet per minute of auxiliary travel speed for moving from one pour to the next and for loading and unloading.
The variable-speed electric vibrator coordinates with the stop switch for automatic on/off vibrator control and is synchronized with the paver’s travel.Equipment World
The prototype is the result of nearly two years of design and development, according to Kevin Klein, GOMACO vice president of engineering, research and development.
“It has been an interesting and exciting challenge for our entire design engineering team, but especially demanding for the controls and software engineers,” Klein says. “We take pride in leading the industry in new product innovations and adding another ‘world’s first’ to our resumé.”
At this point, says Brenner, the company is waiting to see what the market wants.
“It's brand new. And it's not like we’ve got customers that are asking for it,” he says. But he adds that electrification is an increasingly popular topic as other areas of the construction equipment industry roll out battery-powered models.
“We're just going to be ready for it,” he says.
GOMACO plans to wait to see what the market demands for electric paving, but it's preparing for the day when that occurs.Equipment World
