The EC530E and EC550E are “born to excel”, Volvo boasts, and offer the power and rigidity normally associated with 60-tonne machines.

The EC550E undercarriage has a long and wide lower frame, giving it extra stability when working with heavier loads, while the undercarriage on the EC530E shares the same transportation dimensions as Volvo’s 48-tonne EC480E.

They are powered by the Volvo D13J engine but combined fuel efficiency (of up to 25%) is enabled thanks to these use of an electro hydraulics system – the Independent Metering Valve Technology (IMVT), which, thanks to intelligent electronic control offers both more precise operation and efficiency than a traditional mechanically coupled hydraulic system, Volvo says.

Further efficiency is gained from engine pump optimisation, which lowers engine speed while maintaining power, and an improved hydraulic pipework layout.

The new system offers a range of smart functions, including creep mode (for precise lift-and-carry work) and optional Comfort Drive Control (CDC), which allows the excavator to be steered using the joystick rollers instead of the pedals.