Going Underground with Electric Cat Loader

There’s no doubt about it, underground mining is like a secret sector of its own, with activity going on that most of us, rarely if ever see, in some ways I liken it to the forestry industry, once again, something that goes on within the confines of woodlands more often than not miles away from anyone.

So sometimes it makes a refreshing change to checkout some of the machines involved. One machine which could be likely to be seen by visitors to Bauma in October, is the new Cat R1700 XE battery electric underground loader.

Like the strange creatures in the deepest parts of the oceans, these underground machines take on a very different look to their conventional above ground counterparts, and in many ways, that’s what makes them so interesting.

And where better to place a zero-emissions (at point of use) machine than underground, where exhaust fumes can be at least unpleasant and ultimately a danger to health.

With this in mind Caterpillar have launched this battery electric powered model, which builds on the success of the already well proven R1700 underground loader which is powered by an emission’s compliant diesel engine.

Although working time is only rated at around 2.5 hours of continuous operation, the machine can be charged quickly and safely in less than 20 minutes, when it is paired with two of the durable Cat MEC500 chargers.

The machine features an Autodig function for optimized loading, and according to Caterpillar is factory-ready for autonomous operation.

Let’s find out more in the video below.

I for one, would love to go and see one of these machines in action underground one of these days!