Hidden Content
Heavy duty construction machinery producer Caterpillar has built and demonstrated an electric version of its monstrous 2,650-horsepower mining truck, aimed at helping the mining industry transition to more sustainable operations.

The 793 Electric has a similar imposing look and gargantuan proportions to the 1,000-kWh effort from Anglo American and Williams Advanced Engineering, though that model was designed with battery-electric and hydrogen-electric variants in mind. The Caterpillar prototype is battery all the way.

The company is not revealing what are likely to be mind-boggling specs at this stage, but we do know that the truck was loaded to capacity – which would be up to 265 US tons assuming it can haul a similar payload to the regular 793 – and driven over a 7-km (4.3-mile) course at Caterpillar's Tucson proving ground in Green Valley, Arizona, which is where it was built.

It's reported to have rumbled up to a top speed of 60 km/h (37.3 mph), tackled a 10% gradient for one kilometer (0.62 miles) at 12 km/h (7.5 mph) and then used the 10% downhill jaunt to recoup some energy for its unspecified battery pack. At the end of the course, Caterpillar reports that enough charge remained for more complete cycles if needed.

Source: Caterpillar