For Release in Australia, Europe, North America: October 2012
Release Number: 326PR12
More than 1.4 million gallons of diesel fuel saved to date
Caterpillar has shipped the 500th D7E Track-Type Tractor from the company’s East Peoria, Illinois facility.
The Cat® D7E features a first-of-its-kind electric drive system that boosts productivity and efficiency while lowering operating costs and dramatically reducing fuel consumption. D7E dozers are hard at work in a wide range of applications throughout North America, Europe and Australia.
K&E Excavating of Salem, Oregon purchased a D7E earlier this year to replace a D7R. “We like to operate with the latest technology, and the D7E fits right in,” said Kerry Kuenzi, president of K&E. In their applications, Kuenzi says they have found the D7E to be quicker and more powerful than their D7R, and in their own carefully measured side-by-side comparisons, “…the new D7E burns half the fuel of our D7R.”
A key advantage of the D7E has proven to be reduced fuel consumption. Pre-production studies suggested that the D7E would provide 10 to 30 percent better fuel economy over the previous D7 model, depending on the application. According to Cat Product Link™ data, customers using the D7E have already saved more than 1.4 million gallons (5.3 million liters) of diesel fuel as compared to the previous D7R model.
“With diesel over $3.50 a gallon in the U.S. and even higher in Europe, that’s several million dollars going directly to our customers’ bottom lines,” said Scott Johnson, worldwide tractor product manager. “This financial benefit, as well as the corresponding reduction in emissions, will compound as field population continues to grow.”
Family-owned Mectec Pty Ltd purchased the first D7E, which meets U.S. EPA Tier 4 Interim/EU Stage IIIB emission standards, shipped to Australia in June. The company works primarily in renewable forests for the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the VicForests Silvicultural program. Co-owner Luke Mekkens has found outstanding fuel efficiency and the power and maneuverability he needs for the difficult terrain. His calculations show fuel use of the D7E to be 4 to 7 liters (1 to 2 gallons) per hour less than a Cat D6T he uses to do similar work. “The fuel savings, the power and the versatility give me an edge that puts my business in a really great position for the future,” Mekkens said.
Great Lakes Dock & Dredge Company’s fleet has grown to include 13 of the electric drive dozers, and fuel savings was a big part of the purchase decision. “The D7E was a good fit for our company because of the potential fuel savings versus another machine, and the added power that the D7E has over the D7R also was a big plus for us,” said Chris Coolahan, heavy & shoreside equipment manager for the company. Great Lakes has been using the machines to do beach reclamation work all around the U.S. Coolahan also cites Tier 4 Interim certified engines and dealer service capability as contributing factors to the size of their D7E fleet. “We know we can rely on the Cat dealer network for shop and field service, as well as parts availability.”
“Customer satisfaction with this machine has been outstanding,” Johnson said. “Whether the machines are working in construction, oil and gas or landfill applications, the reliability has been fantastic and the reduction in fuel use has been in line with, and often even better than, initially expected. As a result of the tractor’s performance, we’re seeing an increasing number of repeat purchases.”
To learn more about the D7E with electric drive, visit: D7E.
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Note to Editors: Caterpillar rolls-out products and services in each of its territories at different time intervals. Although every effort is made to ensure that product information is released only after Caterpillar has received confirmation from our dealer network, our plants, and our marketing subsidiaries that products and services are available in the relevant region, editors are kindly requested to verify with their local dealer for product availability and specifications.
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