Hats off to Caterpillar for the electric mining track ring. The Texas-based company gathered feedback from real customers to develop a battery-powered version of the giant 793 and demonstrated the truck’s capabilities at a proving ground in Arizona.
Electrifying mining trucks makes a lot of sense. These giant vehicles regularly carry heavy loads over relatively short routes. Caterpillar said customers who chose to participate in its Early Learner Program, which began in 2021, provided the feedback they needed to electrify the 793. Or it could not be revealed exactly to publish the specification.
The Electric 793’s first test was on a 4.3-mile course. The Caterpillar engineer said he monitored more than 1,100 data channels during the event and collected 110,000 data points per second. With a full load, the truck reached a top speed of 37.3 mph, and at 7.5 mph on a 10% grade he drove just over half a mile (0.5 miles), testing the brake energy recovery system on the descent. These figures are similar to those of the 793F, which has an 85-liter 16-cylinder diesel engine rated at about 2,500 horsepower.
Caterpillar points out there’s plenty of power left in the truck battery Key details such as pack size, truck range and charging time have not been released to complete additional testing cycles. The electric 793 will likely reach production at some point, and it looks like multiple miners are queuing to buy one of his.
