Ray Gallant, Ph.D., vice president, sustainability and productivity services, Volvo Construction Equipment North America, offers his take on the current state of the green industry.
Green Industry Pros: How would you describe the current state of the green industry?
Gallant: We continue to see our industry and many others transition to greener products and processes. As expected, we are still in the early stages of adoption of many of these new technologies, so customers and OEMs are continually learning how to best apply the new products and processes.
Green Industry Pros: What challenges did your customers encounter in 2023? How did they contend with them?
Gallant: If we deal specifically with the transition toward green technologies, the concern I most often hear from customers is around refueling or recharging infrastructure. This is especially true in applications where the run time needed exceeds what is possible with the current technology and necessitates opportunity charging. The balance between economic viability and new technologies is not yet evident or obvious for many applications.
Green Industry Pros: What are a few trends you’ve noticed within the industry?
Gallant: More customers are bringing forward applications or new ways of working that take advantage of the unique features of these new machines and technologies. As with any new and potentially disruptive technology, the best fit for the new technology and processes is not simply to replace the old way of doing things, but also to find new applications and work streams that may not be possible with the existing technology. For example, battery-electric machines are emission-free, quiet and have very low vibration, so they can work in sensitive areas such as around food or wildlife/livestock.
Green Industry Pros: What’s on the horizon for 2024?
Gallant: I think the industry will continue to adopt and find viable applications for green technologies. Many factors will influence how quickly and to what extent the transition occurs. However, I think it is safe to say that customers will continue to find new applications and ways of working that will take advantage of the opportunities the new technologies provide.
For more on the current state of the industry, check out these articles below:
- Find a review of 2023 here.
- Learn about top industry trends here.
- Check out what regulations are coming down the road here.
- See what landscape pros' top advice is here.
- Discover what experts' individual takes are in the following Q+As:
- Ditch Witch
- RedTree Landscape Systems
- Briggs & Stratton
- E&M Landscape Services
- McHale Landscape Design
- Vectorworks
- See additional commentary on the State of the Industry here.
