Caterpillar Develops New Off-Highway Battery Prototype Using Lythium-Ion Technology

As part of the company’s enterprise strategy to support customers during the energy transition to a lower-carbon future, Caterpillar announced the development of 48-volt, 300-volt, and 600-volt batteries for the off-highway industry.

Leveraging expertise across Caterpillar’s global network of technical centers in the U.S., U.K., China and India, the program focuses initially on battery solutions for equipment used predominantly in industrial applications.

The battery range uses lithium-ion technology and features a modular design to optimize performance and packaging. Furthermore, they have been engineered with sustainability in mind throughout their lifecycle, with the potential to reuse and recycle at the end of life.

The development program also encompasses inverters, motors, electronic controls, digital services and other critical technologies to deliver the performance, reliability, durability, maintainability, and long-term value needed for equipment buyers working in harsh operating environments.

Caterpillar will showcase prototypes of its battery technologies in hall A4, stand 336 at bauma 2022, which will be held October 24-30 in Munich, Germany.

“Caterpillar has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to sustainability through improvements in our operations and by helping our customers achieve their climate-related goals. Announcement of our battery program is our latest step in combining a wide-ranging inventory of innovations with extensive knowledge of the off-highway industry to offer solutions for a range of power needs, application types, duty cycles and operating environments.”

said Steve Ferguson, senior vice president Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems. 

Caterpillar’s Long-Standing Commitment to Sustainability

Caterpillar has committed that 100% of its new products through 2030 will be more sustainable than the previous generation, which is reflected in Caterpillar’s lineup of industrial-power solutions and integrated services finely tuned for owners of third-party equipment powered by Cat engines.

“Improved sustainability is a journey, not a destination, and one size doesn’t fit all in determining the appropriate power solution for equipment owners. “Our offerings can help customers and end users start improving the sustainability of their operations today through high-efficiency engines, fuels and digital solutions now available for the jobsite, by extending value and reducing waste over the lifecycle of equipment they already own, and by powering the next-generation of equipment with innovations precisely configured for the jobsite.”

Ferguson said. 

Caterpillar supplies a wide spectrum of solutions and expertise that helps customers achieve their goals for a low-carbon future.

• Caterpillar offers a full lineup of diesel engines from 11 hp (8.2 kW) to 2,100 hp (1566 kW) that meet EU Stage V and U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emission standards while delivering superior performance and low operating costs.
• Cat diesel engines can run on renewable liquid fuels and have accommodated the use of biodiesel and HVO for over a decade. In June, Caterpillar announced that Cat C-Series engines used to power Sandvik Mobile Crushers and Screeners can run on renewable and alternative fuels including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) certified to EN15940 or ASTM D975*.
• Caterpillar offers an integrated suite of connected solutions that provide exceptional visibility and actionable intelligence to optimize engine efficiency.
• The global Cat dealer network provides a full suite of proactive fleet maintenance and services backed by genuine Cat parts to help maximize efficiency and sustainability over the lifecycle of equipment.
• Cat dealers offer a complete range of remanufacturing and rebuild options that return components at the end of their initial serviceable lives to like new condition, reducing waste and minimizing the need for raw materials, energy and water to produce new parts.
• Caterpillar is leveraging proven expertise across the broad spectrum of market segments, applications, and new power technologies―including battery-electric and hydrogen prototypes―to recommend the ideal low carbon-intensity power solution for equipment owners.