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What machine was converted?
Pon Equipment worked with Caterpillar on a battery-electric conversion of a 26-ton hydraulic excavator. Contemporary coverage identifies the base machine as a Caterpillar 323F Z-line. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s 2019 summary describes it as a Caterpillar 323.
The conversion replaced the diesel engine and fuel tank with an electric motor, motor controllers and lithium batteries. It was a heavy-equipment retrofit, not a battery-powered model designed from the outset as a production electric excavator. The district’s 2019 project summary reports the machine’s size and battery specifications.
How big and heavy was the battery?
The pack was reported to store 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy and weigh about 3.4 metric tons. That is a substantial mass within a 26-ton machine, reflecting the energy storage needed for demanding work away from a fixed power supply.
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A 2024 technical review also lists the 3.4-ton battery and specifies a 122 kW electric motor. Those are specifications reported for this prototype; they should not be read as current specifications for Caterpillar’s excavator lineup. The 2024 review describes the excavator as an off-road prototype.
How long could it work between charges?
Reports put expected operating time at five to seven hours per charge. The available accounts do not state a defined duty cycle or provide independent measurements of field runtime. Digging intensity, travel, idle time and other operating conditions can affect energy use, so the estimate is not a guaranteed shift length.
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The sources also do not give a charging duration. Without that figure, the reported runtime alone cannot show how the machine would fit into a particular work schedule or charging setup.
Who planned to use the converted excavators?
Norwegian construction company Veidekke was associated with the demonstration. Construction Management reported a prototype delivery to Veidekke and an intention to use eight machines. Separately, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s 2019 summary says Veidekke ordered eight retrofitted excavators. These accounts document a historical order and plan; they do not establish how many units were ultimately delivered or whether any remain in service.
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What does the conversion show—and what does it not?
The project demonstrated a route to operating a large excavator without diesel exhaust at the job site. Contemporary coverage also described quieter operation as a potential benefit. The sources reviewed do not provide a controlled comparison of productivity or noise against a diesel machine, or quantify verified lifetime emissions reductions.
One contemporaneous feature attributed a projection that Norway might avoid emissions equivalent to 60,000 cars. That was a projection, not a measured result for this excavator project. The available reporting likewise does not establish lifecycle cost, current commercial availability, present operating status or fleet performance.
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- 2.4GHz Remote Control: Drive forward and reverse, and use the digging arm to scoop and lift—just like a real excavator! This model focuses on authentic digging action and straightforward controls that kids can master quickly. Simple, fun, and endlessly engaging!
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Electric conversion versus diesel: the practical trade-offs
| Consideration | What this project’s reporting establishes |
|---|---|
| Local exhaust | The conversion used an entirely battery-electric system, removing diesel exhaust from the machine’s operation at the work site; total lifecycle emissions were not quantified. |
| Battery mass and storage | About 3.4 metric tons for a reported 300 kWh pack on this prototype. |
| Operating time | Five to seven hours was reported as an expectation; no workload or independent runtime measurement was specified. |
| Charging | Charging duration and site charging requirements were not stated in the cited accounts. |
| Productivity and cost | No controlled diesel comparison or lifecycle-cost figures were reported. |
For a contractor assessing an electric excavator, the central questions are not only battery capacity but also whether expected runtime matches the job, whether charging can fit into the schedule, and what emissions and cost data are available for the machine’s full operating life. This project’s published figures do not answer those site-specific questions.
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