Volvo has launched all-electric versions of the A30 and A40 articulated haulers, but only in Europe right now.
Caterpillar is rolling out AI-enabled heavy equipment in the U.S. The company already has an all-electric vehicle, but it is only for the mining industry.
These advances signal accelerating construction trends toward electrification, automation, and grid investment.
Volvo has started shipping a fully electric dump truck while Caterpillar is touting a suite of automated and machine learning-powered vehicles, ushering in a new technological era for construction, thanks to two of the industry’s leading heavy equipment manufacturers.
Earlier this month, Volvo showcased the new A30 Electric and A40 Electric Articulated Haulers at its annual Volvo Days event in Sweden. Volvo claims the machines are the world’s first all-electric haulers.
Here are some performance statistics for the Volvo A30 Electric and A40 Electric:
The vehicles can carry up to 32 short tons (64,000 pounds) and 43 short tons (86,000 pounds) of materials, respectively.
The A30 Electric runs on a 265 kW motor, which translates to 360 horsepower.
The A40 Electric has a 350 kW, or roughly 469 horsepower, motor. That matches the strength of the gas-powered A40, which also boasts a max of 469 horses.
Battery capacity is 450 kWh on the A30 and 540 kWh on the A40.
Production on both models began in April of this year, and they are currently being delivered to select customers in the United Kingdom and Norway. Volvo plans to bring the A30 Electric and A40 Electric to more customers throughout Europe during the back half of 2026.
Volvo has not publicly revealed how much these electric machines cost. However, a used 2025 diesel-powered Volvo A30 was listed for sale in Belgium for $391,100 U.S. in late May 2026.
The company has also not stated when, or even if, the electric haulers will be sold in North America. For now, all we know is that they are currently going to specified customers in the UK and Norway, with more unnamed European customers planned this year.
Volvo does sell the gas-powered versions of the A30 and A40 in North America.
While you’d probably be forgiven for calling the Volvo A40 Electric a “dump truck”—after all, it is a truck that dumps—it is truly an “articulated hauler,” which can pivot directions between the cab and the body. Articulated haulers are also optimized to traverse rougher terrains.
These combined features allow an articulated hauler to be better equipped for off road projects, as you can adjust where the load is dumped, even if the vehicle can’t exactly fit.
A standard dump truck, or rigid dump truck, can typically haul more but can only drop its load from one direction; up and out the back.
On this side of the Atlantic, Caterpillar is bringing automation and artificial intelligence onto the jobsite. Back in January, ConstructConnect News reported on the company’s unveiling of five autonomous machines, including a bulldozer, wheel loader, haul truck, and mini excavator. The debuts were made at the CES 2026 event, alongside an AI-powered virtual assistant for fleet managers, technicians, and operators.
The centerpiece of the company’s new additions at CES 2026 was the reinvented Cat 306 CR mini excavator. This updated version of the popular 306 CR can now respond to voice commands, walk operators through proper procedures step-by-step, and is equipped with safety features that can automatically detect and avoid hazards above and below.
For what it’s worth, like Volvo, Caterpillar has also expressed a goal to increase electrification. Currently, the company offers a couple of fully electric machines for the mining industry. That includes the Cat Electric Rope Shovel, which the company says can actually regenerate power, and the R1700 XE underground loader. The loader has a powerful charging capacity and can fully charge its battery in as little as 20 minutes.
Caterpillar's fully electric R1700 XE underground loader, used in mining. (IMAGE: Caterpillar)
There was a point in time when talk about electric work vehicles and artificial intelligence on the jobsite were just concepts. However, Volvo and Caterpillar’s 2026 innovations show construction equipment manufacturers have already begun a transition for the industry. While most construction sites in the US and Canada won’t see the A30 Electric or AI-powered Cat 306 CR right now, the gap between demonstration and deployment of new tech in construction is narrowing.
In the U.S., ConstructConnect News has noticed the push for increased electrification has resulted in utilities investing in grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) to get the most out of the country’s aging electrical infrastructure. One company, pipeline operator TC Energy, is set to drop $1.5 billion to expand the power supply on the east coast. On the west coast, developers have broken ground on a 270-megawatt solar project in New Mexico. In Canada, our sister publication, the Journal of Commerce, reports government officials are currently debating how to shoulder the cost of plans to double the country’s power grid by 2050.
For contractors making longer-range fleet decisions, the industry’s largest OEMs are committing resources and setting goals for electrification and automation. That will eventually have implications for maintenance planning, operator training, and total cost of ownership.
So, even though equipment like Volvo’s A40 Electric won’t reach our shores anytime soon, the pace at which they have gone from potential to reality is worth tracking.
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