Caterpillar has shown off its new electric mining truck prototype, the 793 Electric, and announced plans to build other electric and self-driving vehicles for industrial use.
Caterpillar has long been a leader in the heavy-duty vehicle industry, and now the company plans to try to extend its leadership by offering new electric products for the heavy-duty industry. The first product they showed today was an all-electric mining truck, and the company will follow with many other all-electric machines, and rechargeable products, and also invest in self-driving vehicle technology.
Caterpillar showed their prototype 793 electric truck at the Tuscon Proving Grounds in Arizona, testing a scenario that simulates use in a mine, where the bed is filled with quarry dirt and the truck carries the dirt to a nearby storage area and finally unloads the load like any other heavy truck. The benefits of electric trucks are lower noise and maintenance costs, and lower vehicle emissions, which help protect the environment.
Caterpillar specifically mentioned in their presentation that they will be developing all-electric versions of their trucks, hydraulic shovels, drills, big wheel loaders and bulldozers in the next few years. Caterpillar hopes to offer many products that will allow its electric vehicles to be driven on large industrial sites.
Caterpillar already offers large diesel generators for many large industrial sites, but the company is now working to offer renewable energy options. Caterpillar outlined that their Tuscon test facility is already partially solar powered, and the company hopes to expand their renewable energy generation with more solar (2 MW), wind (3 MW), battery storage systems (18 MW), and even hydrogen generation solutions.
Caterpillar believes that the mines and other industrial sectors of the future will be very different from the mines created and managed today. The mock mines they have presented highlight the possibilities for making mining and resource extraction a cleaner, more sustainable process. It is hoped that through the company’s investments in electric vehicles and other more sustainable technologies, they can have a positive impact on the industries they supply.
