5-Axle Battery-Electric Cement Mixer From Renault Trucks – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 28th February 2025, 01:07 pm

By now, we all know that there are companies out there trying to tame the massive carbon emissions that result from making cement. They should all be applauded for doing important work. But how does all that low- or zero-carbon concrete get to job sites? In big diesel-powered cement mixer trucks, that’s how. Quite frankly, those trucks are so enormous and so heavy that there really has been no alternative to diesel power, but now there is. Renault Trucks this week introduced a fully electric battery-powered cement mixer that can transport concrete without those diesel emissions.

Does it cost more than a conventional cement mixer? Sure it does, but there’s more to the story. The Renault Trucks cement mixer can haul a 10 cubic meter (11 cubic yard) load. The standard for diesel-powered mixers is 8 cubic meters. More concrete means fewer trips to the job site. Fewer trips mean lower transportation costs. And, of course, electricity to charge the battery costs less that diesel fuel. Throw in reduced wear and tear on mechanical braking systems and the business case for an electric cement mixer gets even stronger.

Introducing An Electric Cement Mixer

In a press release this week, Renault Trucks, which is actually owned by AB Volvo, said that expanding battery electric technology to new business applications required the development of tailored solutions. Concrete transport, which demands a high payload, is directly impacted by battery weight. To reconcile operational efficiency, economic performance, and the imperative of decarbonization, Renault Trucks and the German truck body manufacturer Schwing-Stetter have developed a two-part innovation — a battery-powered 5-axle chassis coupled with a battery-powered mixer mechanism that further eliminates carbon emissions at the job site. The Renault Trucks E-Tech C, equipped with a fully electric mixer, is capable of carrying up to 10 cubic meters of concrete. This vehicle will be unveiled exclusively at the Schwing Stetter booth during the next edition of the Bauma trade fair from April 7 to 13, 2025, in Munich, Germany.

French manufacturer Renault Trucks, a pioneer in electromobility that offers the most extensive range of decarbonized transport solutions on the European market, and German truck manufacturer Schwing Stetter, a leader in concrete transport systems, have combined their expertise. Together, they have developed a 100% electric solution that provides a zero-emission alternative for construction industry professionals.

Concrete transport requires a high payload for both technical and economic reasons. For example, a diesel truck equipped with a conventional mixer can carry up to 8 cubic meters of concrete in most European countries, depending on national regulations. The transition to electric, due to battery weight, reduces this capacity. To address this, Renault Trucks designed a unique five-axle model: the Renault Trucks E-Tech C hat is capable of carrying up to 10 m3 of concrete.

Five Axles And A Short Wheelbase

Despite having an additional axle, this truck maintains excellent maneuverability, which is essential for navigating urban environments and accessing restricted construction sites. Thanks to a redesigned architecture — including the vertical repositioning of the batteries behind the cab — the revised chassis space allows for a short wheelbase and a reduced turning radius. In addition, Schwing Stetter has developed a fully electric concrete mixer, directly powered by the truck’s batteries. This integrated solution enables zero CO2 emissions during operation.

With a range of up to 140 km with a 45-minute intermediate charge (or 110 km on a single charge), this truck can complete four daily trips of 35 km, a distance well suited to typical routes between concrete plants and construction sites. Renault Trucks supports its customers in selecting the right number of batteries and optimizing the charging strategy, which avoids oversizing that could reduce payload capacity, increase total operating costs, and unnecessarily enlarge the environmental footprint. Thanks to optimal battery sizing, increased payload capacity, and lower energy costs, this new electric vehicle ensures a competitive cost per transported cubic meter of concrete compared to diesel models, while complying with the strictest environmental regulations.

The Renault Trucks E-Tech C will be available in Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Finland, and Slovakia, where regulations allow five-axle rigid trucks to operate at up to 42 tonnes (subject to national legislation). Renault Trucks is advocating for the harmonization of European regulations to accelerate the adoption of electric technology for concrete transport. With this joint innovation, Renault Trucks and Schwing Stetter reaffirm their commitment to decarbonizing transport while meeting the productivity and competitiveness requirements of the concrete industry.

This is pretty big news, actually. Reducing the carbon impact of the construction industry is an important part of adapting to the new realities of a planet that is growing hotter. Zero-emissions concrete delivered in a zero-emissions cement mixer? That is a significant achievement worth celebrating, but it is not the first electric cement mixer ever made. Five years ago, my colleague Jo Borras reported on a five-axle battery-powered mixer from Switzerland’s Leibherr. He freely admitted the idea of an electric mixing drum was difficult for him to grasp.

“I barely understand how the conventional hydraulic drums work,” he wrote. The electric ones, meanwhile, seem pretty straightforward. Electrons spin the thing, the thing mixes the stuff, the stuff comes out. I get it. Thankfully, Liebherr explains some of the benefits of electrification like the experts that they are, writing that, “For the first time, both the truck and the truck mixer body are powered jointly by the traction battery, eliminating the need for costly power electronics components. The new Liebherr Generation 05 electrified body offers further advantages. The compact electric drive for the mixing drum is flanged directly to the drum and its high efficiency ensures that power consumption for relieving the traction battery of the Futuricum truck remains low.”

Leibherr claims other advantages, too. “The ETM 1005 also eliminates the need for any hydraulic equipment. Liebherr’s truck mixer body boasts a low net weight combined with good transport volume, a long service life due to its special wear-resistant steel and the ergonomic design of the operation system and access points,” writes Emily Thomas of World Cement. “A platform system on both sides allows flexible positioning and attachment of accessories or attachments to suit customer requirements.” Jo, in his own inimitable way, added, “Who even knew World Cement was a magazine!?” An excellent point. Perhaps the editorial staff here at CleanTechnica needs to get out from behind our computers and experience the outside world more often.