Kia has launched the Tasman X-Pro pickup, with body-on-frame construction, a switchable all-wheel drive (AWD) system, rear electronic locking differential (e-LD), a suite of off-road assistance systems and 252mm (9.9 inches) of ground clearance. Powered by a 281 PS 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission (badged... Read more →

JCB has secured the first full EU type-approval of its hydrogen engine for use in non-road mobile machinery. This means that JCB’s hydrogen engine has been approved for sale and for use in machines and third-party OEM equipment in each of the 27 EU member states, and all other territories... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment unveiled its mid-size L120 Electric wheel loader and introduced the updated 23-ton EC230 Electric excavator at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, California. The EC230 Electric excavator and L120 Electric wheel loader are the first medium-sized machines in the Volvo CE electric lineup, which also... Read more →

Automotive technology company Luminar will collaboratewith Caterpillar to integrate LiDAR technology into Caterpillar’s next generation autonomous solution. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is used for navigation and obstacle detection in autonomous machines. LiDAR uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to continuously scan the surrounding... Read more →

At bauma, Bosch Engineering is presenting a newly developed high-performance solution for battery voltages of up to 800 volts, which further increases the range of applications for construction machinery. The latest generation of our powerful electric drive system combines high power density, compact dimensions, and optimum efficiency. As a result,... Read more →

Cummins has acquired assets of First Mode, a developer of retrofit hybrid solutions for mining and rail operations. The acquisition includes hybrid mining and rail product lines, and the full IP portfolio which includes hydrogen and battery powertrain solutions. This technology represents the first commercially available retrofit hybrid system for... Read more →

As part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions across every area of its business, Volvo CE is now for the first time implementing low carbon emission steel into serial production of all its articulated haulers built in Braås, Sweden. The announcement was made as part of the company’s biggest articulated... Read more →

Vehicle and engine manufacturers, suppliers, and researchers have joined forces in the PoWer project (earlier post), which aims to explore how hydrogen drives can be used across the full spectrum of applications in construction and agriculture. The project is being led by MAHLE, with partners including DEUTZ, Purem, Claas, Liebherr,... Read more →

Vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and science, as well as small and medium-sized companies, including DEUTZ, KIT, The German Aerospace Center (DLR), Purem by Eberspaecher, Claas, Braunschweig University of Technology, Liebherr, Nagel, Umicore, NGK and Castrol, have joined forces to investigate the cross-application use of hydrogen-engine powertrain concepts for construction and agricultural... Read more →

PowerCell is now involved in the H2MAC project, a four-year European Union-funded initiative aiming to research and develop fuel cells capable of enduring the demanding conditions of the construction and mining sectors, including exposure to dust and intense vibrations. The project will design a scalable hydrogen-powered fuel cell (FCE) powertrain... Read more →

Rio Tinto will partner with China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) to demonstrate battery-swap electric haul-truck technology at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia. Battery swapping technology allows a battery electric vehicle to exchange a discharged battery pack quickly for a fully charged one, instead of recharging the vehicle... Read more →

Newmont Corporation commissioned its first battery-electric large mining truck at the Cripple Creek and Victor (CC&V) mine in Teller County, Colorado. The vehicle, dubbed the Early Learner Cat 793 XE, is an important milestone for Newmont, made possible through its strategic alliance with Caterpillar Inc. Currently, surface and underground mining... Read more →

Rio Tinto has completed the transition from conventional to renewable diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah, giving the mine one of the lowest carbon footprints of any copper producer in the United States. Kennecott’s fleet of 97 haul trucks and heavy machinery equipment... Read more →

In a project that recently started at the Kanzelstein quarry in Gratkorn, Austrian construction company STRABAG is testing Liebherr’s large hydrogen-powered wheel loader over a period of two years. Energie Steiermark will supply green hydrogen for its own hydrogen filling station at the quarry. The L 566 H wheel loader... Read more →

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects distillate fuel oil consumption to increase in the fall as diesel-powered agricultural equipment is used to harvest and transport crops. The harvest tends to peak in mid-October and continue through November, when the start of the winter home heating season also supports distillate... Read more →

Volvo CE inaugurated new facilities to support the production of electric wheel loaders at its plant in Arvika, Sweden. The building in Arvika is the latest development for the Swedish site which specializes in manufacturing medium and large wheel loaders. Measuring approximately 1,500 sq m and constructed in less than... Read more →

In a new report—Electric Vehicles in Construction 2024-2044: Technologies, Players, Forecasts—IDTechEx highlights how the electric construction machines of today are bigger and better than their predecessors from less than 10 years ago. OEMs worldwide are picking up the pace of electric machine development, and IDTechEx finds the industry will grow... Read more →

STEYR and Tu Wien recently unveiled the FCTRAC, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered STEYR concept tractor based on a standard STEYR 4140 Expert CVT tractor. The FCTRAC was developed in collaboration between engineers at the CNH tractor plant in St. Valentin and TU Wien as part of a national research project... Read more →

Rio Tinto and BHP will collaborate on the testing of large battery-electric haul truck technology in the Pilbara, Western Australia, to accelerate the potential for its future deployment. The two companies will work with manufacturers Caterpillar and Komatsu to conduct independent trials of their battery-electric haul trucks, including testing of... Read more →

Fortescue’s hydrogen-powered haul truck prototype, dubbed “Europa”, has reached the significant milestone of having operated off hydrogen for the first time. This development marks a major step in Fortescue’s mission to decarbonize heavy industry as well as the company’s partnership with Liebherr Mining. Delivered in collaboration with Liebherr, Europa is... Read more →

MITSUI E&S and its subsidiary company in the US, PACECO, began commercial operations of the first hydrogen fuel cell powered rubber-tired gantry (RTG) Crane “MITSUI-Paceco H2-ZE Transtainer crane” at the Port of Los Angeles. The H2-ZE RTG Transtainer Crane features a PACECO-Mitsui Fuel Cell Power Pack (FCPP) designed to power... Read more →

Volvo CE is publishing the construction equipment industry’s most extensive catalogue of Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reports, making it easy for customers to take active steps to reduce their environmental impact. The reports confirm that electric machines are a more sustainable choice compared to conventional diesel machines, when looking at... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) have jointly released the Progression of Net-Zero Emission Propulsion Technologies for the Off-Road Sector Request for Information (RFI). (DE-FOA-0003353) The purpose of this RFI is to understand the... Read more →

Cummins Inc. has commissioned a diesel-hybrid mining truck in partnership with one of China’s leading rigid mining truck manufacturers, North Hauler Joint Stock Co., Ltd. (NHL). The hybrid NHL NTH260, a 220 metric ton payload mining truck, rolled off the production line in January and is headed to Baiyun Iron... Read more →

Fortescue’s recently deployed electric excavator has reached the milestone of one million tonnes moved since it became operational. Over the past three months, the excavator had been running at partial capacity while the site team familiarized itself with the new piece of equipment. Now operating at full-speed, its performance continues... Read more →

Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Symbio concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the joint development of fuel cell systems for mobilities including construction machinery. Through this MOU, Kawasaki and Symbio aim to integrate and leverage Kawasaki’s network in construction machinery and its development & manufacturing experience for high-pressure hydrogen gas... Read more →

Skanska, a leading construction and development firm, has completed a 90-day pilot program using the Volvo EC230 Electric excavator on the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project in Los Angeles, at the South Yard of the La Brea station. Skanska’s use of the zero-emissions equipment was among the first to... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment and Mack Trucks, both Volvo Group companies, recently delivered on- and off-road electric equipment to Florida-based Coastal Waste & Recycling. The company, based in Boca Raton, Florida, is piloting a 23-ton EC230 Electric excavator from Volvo CE and took delivery of a Mack LR Electric Class 8... Read more →

HummingbirdEV, a provider of commercial vehicle electrification systems, announced that 393 explosion-proof electric mining vehicles powered by its next-generation electric vehicle (EV) technologies under a licensing agreement with Keshi Group, the leading manufacturer and marketer of coal mining auxiliary transport technology and equipment, are currently in operation in various underground... Read more →

General Motors and Komatsu will co-develop a hydrogen fuel cell power module for Komatsu’s 930E electric drive mining truck, the world’s best-selling ultra-class haul truck. GM, a leader in hydrogen fuel cell technology, and Komatsu, a global manufacturer of mining and construction equipment, will jointly design and validate the technology.... Read more →

SafeAI, a developer of autonomous vehicle technology for heavy industry, and Obayashi Corporation, a leading construction company, unveiled a retrofit zero-emission, autonomous haul truck. The Caterpillar 725 is the first haul truck retrofitted with autonomous and electrification technology. (Earlier post.) While autonomy and electrification have been implemented independently, this is... Read more →

Komatsu, through its wholly owned subsidiary in the US, Komatsu America Corp., has agreed to acquire American Battery Solutions, Inc. (ABS), a battery systems manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Komatsu is planning to close the acquisition on 1 December 2023, on the condition that all necessary procedures for the closing... Read more →

Caterpillar has launched a three-year program to demonstrate an advanced hydrogen-hybrid power solution built on its new Cat C13D engine platform. Starting in the first quarter of 2024, Caterpillar will develop a transient-capable system for off-highway applications. The project will demonstrate how advanced control systems and electric-hybrid components can help... Read more →

Norway-based Applied Hydrogen AS, a developer of hydrogen-powered equipment and refueling systems for the construction industry, and Ballard Power Systems are partnering on the development of a new zero-emission fuel cell excavator, incorporating Ballard’s FCmove-XD 120kW fuel cell engine. Supported by Enova, an enterprise of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate... Read more →

At Agritechnica, Cummins confirmed its commitment to the hydrogen economy as part of its Destination Zero strategy. Following recent acquisitions and investment, Cummins’ focus is on three key areas for hydrogen: the production of green hydrogen; the management and transportation of hydrogen; and the application of hydrogen in engines and... Read more →

For sustainable drive solutions for agricultural machinery and off-road applications, MAN Engines has presented the MAN H4576. This newly developed hydrogen combustion engine is based on the proven engine base of the D3876 diesel engine. With an output of 500 hp (368 kW) and a displacement of 16.8 liters, the... Read more →

Blue World Technologies and AGCO Power have developed a range extender concept and prototype for an electric Fendt e100 Vario tractor based on Blue World’s HT PEM fuel cell platform enabling long operation time using liquid methanol as fuel. Field demonstration of an early concept electric Fendt tractor with a... Read more →

At Agritechnica 2023, MAN Engines will be showing a wide range of proven as well as completely new products under the motto “Powering The Green Transformation – Off-road solutions for the future”. The highlight of the trade fair appearance of MAN Engines—a business unit of MAN Truck & Bus—is the... Read more →

Equipmake, the UK-based engineering specialist pioneering the development and production of electrification products across the automotive, aerospace, bus, and coach industries, will collaborate with Perkins on a new off-highway hybrid system project. Awarded a total of £11.14 million (US$13.6 million) in government funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), with... Read more →

Perkins announced the development of the Perkins 2600 Series, a new 13-liter diesel engine platform designed to achieve best-in-class power density, torque and fuel efficiency for heavy duty off-highway applications. Targeting applications in agriculture, construction, and numerous other sectors, the new platform extends Perkins leadership in high-performing, mid-sized engines with... Read more →

Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, a provider of fuel cell power solutions for motive applications, is powering the hydrogen fuel cell reachstacker that Hyster has developed and shipped to the Port of Valencia in Spain. The reachstacker is part of the H2Ports project, which aims to introduce hydrogen-powered vehicles and equipment... Read more →

Working with mining machinery is associated with a wide variety of hazards. Collisions between excavators, dump trucks, or caterpillar trucks and people or obstacles are a common cause of accidents. To avoid accidents the drivers must always have the entire area surrounding the vehicle in view. This causes constant stress... Read more →

Israel-based Foresight Autonomous Holdings, a developer of automotive vision systems, has signed a paid proof-of-concept (POC) project with the Chinese subsidiary of one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial equipment, heavy machinery, construction and mining equipment. The Fortune 500 company will evaluate Foresight’s QuadSight technology to provide autonomous capabilities... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is making available its 48V DC protocol for electric charging solutions in a bid to accelerate electrification and make it easier for customers with a multi-branded fleet. There is currently no industry standard for 48V DC charging solutions—the power required for electric compact machines—which means... Read more →

Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS), a joint venture between MSC PSA Europe Terminal (MPET) and PSA Antwerp (PSAA), recently launched the first hydrogen dual-fuel straddle carrier in the Port of Antwerp. Using H2 dual fuel combustion engine technology developed by cleantech company CMB.TECH and integrated into a straddle carrier with the... Read more →

Komatsu has developed a concept machine for a medium-sized hydraulic excavator that combines a hydrogen fuel cell and Komatsu-developed key components. By advancing the PoC (Proof of Concept) tests it started in May 2023, Komatsu says it will accelerate its efforts to embark on the commercial production of medium-sized and... Read more →

On the foundation of their 2021 collaboration agreement and of technical work achieved together over the past two years, Nouveau Monde Graphite and Caterpillar signed definitive agreements for Caterpillar to supply NMG’s Matawinie Mine with an integrated solution that covers a zero-exhaust emission fleet, supporting infrastructure, and service. Caterpillar is... Read more →

At this year’s demopark open-air exhibition, Mercedes-Benz is presenting a prototype of the Unimog based on the U 430 with hydrogen-powered combustion engine as part of the publicly funded “WaVe” project. The project, funded by Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, is being implemented jointly by 18... Read more →

MAN Engines is now equipping the PistenBully 800 from Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG with its MAN D3876 engine. The basis for the delivery of the in-line six-cylinder engine was the further development and adaptation of the MAN D3876 to the extreme working environment of the new high-performance snow groomer from Laupheim.... Read more →

JCB publicly unveiled its new port fuel injected, 4.8L inline-four hydrogen combustion engine (448 ABH2)—the company’s zero-carbon emissions solution for construction and agricultural equipment—at the Conexpo 2023 show in Las Vegas as part of the International Fluid Power Exposition (IFPE). JCB is investing £100 million in the project to produce... Read more →