21 Bobcat T7X electric compact track loader | Dossier E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 optimise the machine’s performance further from those standpoints. “Hydraulics have been around for 80 or 90 years and are very well-refined, but, like other technologies, they have their limitations. As we started to think about the whole platform, our engineers began to think about how, instead of just taking the engine out and putting a battery in, perhaps we could make this an all-electric platform. “We explored many options, looking to advancements in other industries, such as aerospace and automotive, to evaluate the possibilities of what existed and consider what had not yet been created. Ultimately, we made a decision to replace the hydraulics with an all-electric solution using ball-screw actuation, and that opened up a lot more possibilities for us from a technical standpoint for what we could do.” Electric motor capabilities on a compact track loader were unknown. There were questions as to whether the electric motors could even turn the tracks, let alone perform any work operations, but, in 2019, to prove its potential, the team took one of its existing models and within six weeks it had developed a prototype. “We were able to electrify that platform entirely with a battery, electric drives, motors and the electric ball-screw actuation – and the machine worked,” recalls Honeyman. “It was amazing. We showed it to our executive team and they said, ‘keep going’, because it was now a believable concept to them and it just grew from there.” Powertrain development Core to the concept and feasibility of the T7X was its adaptation of technology and parts that were already in use and had been proven in other industries. The aim was to take the diesel-fuelled equivalent, the Bobcat T76 compact track loader, and make minimal modifications to the structural design, so much of the work became a parts selection and packaging optimisation exercise. The first decision to be made was the baseline voltage architecture on which to build. At the time of the machine’s initial development, about five years ago, the 800 V approach, which hydraulics system, which is used to move the lift arm and tilt functions, and for the auxiliaries that control the various available attachments. This has completely revolutionised the machine. John Pfaff, director of innovation engineering at Bobcat, describes the new machine as having similar characteristics to “a robot”, and in some ways it has comparisons with a modern, fly-by-wire fighter jet in that it remains manually operated while being managed by highly intelligent software that constantly balances and optimises power and performance. Total electrification The standard, compact track loaders in Bobcat’s range are typical of those found throughout the industry. They are the Swiss Army Knife of compact construction, with high-power inline diesel engines, hydrostatic drive systems, a hydraulic power workgroup and auxiliaries used to operate a huge variety of tools that can be fitted to the carrier’s attachment interface. These machines are workhorses that perform a whole range of tasks using attachments that can include box blades, combination buckets, rotary cutters, dumping hoppers, graders, pallet forks, planers, rotary grinders, scarifiers, scrapers, snow pushers, spreaders, tillers, tree transplanters, vibratory rollers and wood chippers. That list alone demonstrates the versatility that is required and indicates that perhaps those initial thoughts of these machines being the most suitable for electrification could have been wide off the mark. However, early on in the development phase it became clear to the team that nothing could have been better suited. “These are not cars; these are used by people to move materials and run lots of different attachments,” says Honeyman. “They need maximum power and performance, and we quickly discovered that the technology that had been developed could allow us to The sticker says it all – this vehicle is all-electric, from its propulsion system to its operation
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