Electric Loaders: All the Details on Bobcat’s Battery-Powered T7X Compact Track Loader
This article is part of a series on battery-powered compact loaders. In the coming weeks, we will be posting brand-specific stories summarizing the electric loader options from a variety of machine makers, including Volvo, Case, Toro, Cratos, Volteq and beyond. View those other stories right over here. Then enjoy the feature below.
Doosan Bobcat unveiled its all-electric Bobcat T7X compact track loader at CES 2022. At launch, Bobcat assured pros this wasn’t just a concept machine, and soon Sunbelt Rentals added these alt-propulsion CTLs to its California fleet. The T7X is the first machine of its kind to be fully electric, offering the benefits of eliminating hydraulic systems, components, emissions and vibrations on a compact track loader — all while providing a cleaner, quieter unit.
“Our first commercial products were our E10e and E19e excavators,” explains Joel Honeyman, vice president of global innovation at Bobcat. “Those are commercially available now, but the loader project started about three years ago, and that became a concept loader for us just to think about all-electric. With the excavator, we took out the engine, put a drive motor on the hydraulic pack and away we went. So, it was battery-powered, but nothing else really changed. Whereas in the loader, we took it a step further. We removed the hydraulics, which allowed us to do a number of new and creative things, so the T7X is our first fully electric commercial product right now.”
The Bobcat T7X is powered by a powerful 70-kWh lithium-ion battery. It offers zero emissions and nearly silent operation, so it can be used any time of day, even in urban areas where noise restrictions can affect working hours. The battery and all-electric powertrain reduce vibration for a better customer experience. Depending on the application, the battery can provide up to four hours of continuous operation or longer during intermittent use on the jobsite — enabling a full workday of use.
After a recharge, the T7X is ready to do the tough jobs all over again. Plus, this unit has comparable stats to the Bobcat T76 diesel compact track loader. The T7X offers a rated operating capacity of 3,056 lbs (35 percent); tipping load of 8,743 lbs; and operating weight of 12,590 lbs.
On the T7X, the traditional hydraulic work group has been completely replaced with an electrical drive system consisting of electric actuators and electric drive motors, which means virtually no fluids. The new, all-electric T7X uses less than 2 gal of eco-friendly coolant, 2.5 lbs of refrigerant and just two quarts of drive motor oil compared to nearly 60 gal of fluid in its diesel/hydraulic equivalent model.
Powered by lithium-ion batteries and producing zero emissions, the T7X and electric compact excavators support environmentally sensitive worksites. They allow users to operate inside structures where diesel exhaust is restricted. There are also significantly lower noise levels and vibration with these machines, which improves jobsite communication and safety and allows work in sound-sensitive areas. Going electric also offers plenty of interesting technological upgrades. The integration of automation, autonomy, software upgrades and telemetry are easier on e-loaders.
“For instance, on our current diesel hydraulic loaders, you have auto bucket positioning, right?” says Honeyman. “Well, that’s all done hydraulically, but there’s hoses and valves to do that. On our all-electric loader, it’s software. We just programmed it.”
While applications vary, each charge can support common daily work operations and the use of work modes for up to four hours of continuous operation time and a full day of operation during intermittent use or a typical contractor workday.
“Right now, we have an onboard charging system,” says Honeyman. “It can be 120V or 220V, but it’s an onboard charger. It’s a type-two charger. It’s like a Ford Lightning-type of plug. We are looking at faster charging options. DC fast charging could be a potential in the future for us. It’s just a matter of, again, the chemistry of the battery and cooling the battery while it’s charging. There’s a lot of science behind this that has to take place.”
Looking toward the near future, Bobcat unveiled the prototype for its all-electric skid steer loader, the S7X, at CONEXPO-CON/AGG last year. This unit is still in prototype form as part of Bobcat’s new product development process, with commercialization details forthcoming.
Find Bobcat’s T7X at Sunbelt Rentals
Sunbelt Rentals, North America’s premier equipment rental company, announced the delivery of the first Bobcat T7X all-electric compact track loader to Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2022. Sunbelt Rentals was the first national rental company to adopt Bobcat all-electric technology, with the intent to support emission reduction goals for both its customers and the company itself.
The company has an exclusive rental agreement for the Bobcat T7X, making Sunbelt Rentals the primary source for customers to utilize this equipment. Sunbelt Rentals has a rapidly growing fleet of T7X compact track loaders that will be available for rent in California and other markets throughout North America.
The Bobcat T7X is the world’s first all-electric compact track loader and joins a Sunbelt Rentals fleet that also includes all-electric scissor lifts and skid steers, along with Ford F-150 Lightning trucks. This new equipment offering reflects Sunbelt Rentals’ commitment to providing customers with innovation that is powerful, yet sustainable.
“Sunbelt Rentals is pleased that customers have access to innovative technologies like the Bobcat T7X through rental and that the equipment aligns with their sustainability efforts,” said Brent Coffey, director of product line management, Sunbelt Rentals in a press release a couple of years ago. “Equipment such as this is a viable way to help our customers reduce their carbon footprint and decrease noise pollution, while also ensuring they have the excellent operating performance they need.”
Beyond availability at Sunbelt Rentals, Bobcat also has T7X units available in a limited quantity at select dealerships across North America.
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Keith Gribbins is publisher of Compact Equipment.