Caterpillar has completed a successful demonstration of its first battery-electric 793 model mining truck.

Caterpillar developed its battery-electric prototype with support from mining customers participating in its Early Learner program, which was established in 2021 with the aim of accelerating the development and validation of Caterpillar’s battery-electric trucks at participating customers’ sites. Participants with definitive electrification agreements include BHP, Freeport-McMoRan, Newmont, Rio Tinto and Teck Resources.

Early Learner customers witnessed a live demonstration of Caterpillar’s prototype truck on a 4.3-mile course. To validate simulation and engineering modeling capabilities, Caterpillar monitored more than 1,100 data channels, gathering 110,000 data points per second. Fully loaded to its rated capacity, the truck achieved a top speed of 37.3 mph. The loaded truck traveled 0.62 miles up a 10% grade at 7.5 mph. It also performed a 0.62-mile run on a 10% downhill grade, capturing the energy that would normally be lost to heat and passing it to the battery. Upon completion of the run, the truck retained enough battery energy to perform additional complete cycles.