For Worldwide Release: April 2019
Release Number: 282PR19
Thanks to decades of innovation in improving engine technology, today’s cars, trucks and other vehicles are cleaner and quieter than ever. More stringent regulations worldwide are driving manufacturers to redesign products to meet more ambitious standards while addressing customer needs for better efficiency and lower fuel costs. So too are changing societal attitudes about environmental sustainability. People demand — and deserve — fewer emissions and less noise in the areas where they live, work and play.
Both factors help explain the move toward electrification, most visible in Europe and within the automotive sector. At Caterpillar, we are ready. In fact, we’ve been investing in electrification for decades. Our engineers hold numerous patents in this space, and Cat® electrified products are at work on customer sites around the globe. Innovation comes standard on every product we make, and we’re convinced that electrification is a technology that brings key benefits to our customers.
WHAT IS ELECTRIFICATION?
At Caterpillar, we define electrification as “making a machine, product or system operate using electricity when it did not before.” Electrification, along with high-efficiency energy conversion, is one of five key pillars in our technology strategy. Electrified equipment, in the right application, can benefit customers in each of our major industry segments through fuel savings, increased environmental sustainability, greater durability and higher productivity. Since the customer value proposition is quite diverse, so is our range of solutions.
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS COME FIRST
For some customers, generating zero emissions is the goal; for others, it’s burning less fuel or increasing power density. Customers won’t sacrifice quality, reliability or durability to achieve these objectives. That’s why our electrification strategy begins and ends with customer needs — and why we’re pursuing not a single solution, but a versatile approach that lets us match the right product to the application. That includes:
CAT ELECTRIFIED PRODUCTS AT BAUMA 2019
As they look for more reductions in CO2 emissions, many of our customers in Europe are seeking out electrification solutions. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to showcase a number of our newest electrified products at bauma 2019. Visitors to the show will get an up-close look at the:
COLLABORATION DRIVES INNOVATION
Developing the right electrified products for our customers’ diverse needs isn’t something we’re doing alone. Our dealers around the world are on the front lines of the electrification movement — adapting existing Cat products to specific regional or jobsite requirements. Several of these machines are on display at bauma as well.
Cat dealer Zeppelin, for example, has been working with Caterpillar to develop a tethered, electrified material handler primarily for use indoors. Zeppelin has also adapted a Cat 302.7D CR mini excavator into a dual-power machine that can switch between a standard diesel engine or a cable-powered electric motor. And Pon Equipment is building eight fully electric excavators, based on our 323F model, for the Norwegian market that will run on electric motors, controllers and heavy-duty batteries.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Though every industry we serve is unique, our customers share many goals — among them working more productively, efficiently and cost-effectively. To help them adapt to electrification more quickly, at a lower cost and with less risk, we’ll be applying tried-and-true concepts across industries, applications and products large and small. At the same time, we’ll also continue to seek the breakthrough innovations Caterpillar is known for, putting both bright minds and research and development dollars to work to make sure our customers have the tools to succeed in a partially or fully electric future.
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