Battery-electric prototype offers glimpse of the future

The battery-electric 793 prototype truck was built at Caterpillar’s Tucson Proving Ground in Green Valley, Arizona. Photo: Caterpillar

Caterpillar completed the development of its first battery-electric 793 prototype, demonstrating the mining truck at its proving ground in Green Valley, Arizona.

Caterpillar says it brought the 793 prototype to life with the support of mining customers who participate in its Early Learner program. Program participants include BHP, Freeport-McMoRan, Newmont Corp., Rio Tinto and Teck Resources.

“Our global team came together to develop this battery truck at an accelerated pace to help our customers meet their sustainability commitments,” says Denise Johnson, president of the Resource Industries Group at Caterpillar. “This demonstration is a significant milestone, and we are excited for these trucks to get to work at customers’ sites around the world in the near future.”

According to Caterpillar, its Early Learner program launched in 2021 with a focus on accelerating the development and validation of the company’s battery-electric trucks at participating customer sites. A primary program objective is for Caterpillar to collaborate more closely with customers as the industry undergoes transformational change.

Caterpillar says Early Learner customers witnessed a live demonstration of the 793 prototype on a 4.3-mile course. The truck, fully loaded to its rated capacity, achieved a top speed of 37.3 mph. The loaded truck traveled 0.62 miles up a 10 percent grade at 7.5 mph. It also performed a 0.62-mile run on a 10 percent downhill grade, capturing the energy that would normally be lost to heat and regenerating that energy to the battery.

Upon completing the entire run, Caterpillar says the truck maintained enough battery energy to perform additional complete cycles.