Heat waves become a wake-up call for Atlas Copco
17 August 2022
This summer's high temperatures, droughts and wildfires are underling the reality of climate change. Atlas Copco Power Technique Australia must switch to electric if we are to play our part in stopping the planet from overheating.
For years, Australia has been experiencing extreme heat waves - even the UK and Belgium who are normally rainy and cold has seen temperatures soar to 40°C. Melting roads, flash fires and water shortages - this is the world we must get use to if we don't cut our CO2 output. With the world sweltering in the sun, it's getting harder to deny that climate change isn't real - or that humans aren't playing an outsized part in that change.
The future is electric
Atlas Copco Power Technique have been making machines powered by diesel engines for almost a century. They know everything there is to know about diesel and the internal combustion engine. In line with their vision of delivering the most sustainable solutions for tough applications, in the last decade Atlas Copco have made the engines more efficient cutting emissions drastically.
Today almost all power technique’s equipment uses diesel engines. The E-Air electric portable compressor has been positively received, with most sites having access to electricity to plug in the compressor. The benefits are huge, not just for the environment.
Total cost of ownership down by two thirds
The E-Air electric compressors produce no CO2, are whisper quiet and are lighter and smaller for easier transport. Although the initial investment is high over their lifetime, they are cheaper to own - at least 65% less than a diesel powered equivalent. With hardly any moving parts, electric portable compressors need far less maintenance (service every 2,000 hours compared to 500 hours for diesel) and last much longer - up to 7 times longer compared to a diesel engine.
There’s a perception that being more sustainable means making sacrifices. But that isn’t the case with electric compressors. Saving the planet has never been so good for business.
The future must start now
Saying goodbye to the diesel engine will be hard. But if there is no question that if we are going to do our bit in preventing the world overheating, the future of Atlas Copco Power Technique is electric. There may not be an electric alternative for every application yet, but the technology will soon fill in any gaps. As we sit at the beach this summer, we should put down our phones for a moment and think about what we will tell our grandchildren in years to come when asked what we did to help protect their world in the 2020s.
