Veolia has put the D7E to work at its landfill site in Rainham, Essex, in place of its old Cat D8T.
The electric drive system has a CatC9.3 engine. But instead of powering a mechanical transmission, the engine drives a generator, which turns the mechanical engine power into AC electricity.
The electric current flows through heavy-duty power cables and connectors into a power inverter. Some of the current is converted to DC current for the various machine systems. The rest of the AC current is routed to the drive motors, which power the final drives. All of these electric drive components are sealed against the environment and liquid cooled.
Claimed advantages include a 50% noise reduction and fuel cost savings of up to 30%, depending on application, saving thousands of pounds a year.
Veolia Environmental Services’ general manager, London landfill, Vinod Mehroke said: “In all areas of business we strive to be leading in green technology and so the new Cat D7E dozer is a great addition at the Rainham Integrated Waste Management Facility. With an already strong track record in green vehicle investment, we are very proud to be the pioneers in fleet efficiency by bringing this new dozer into service in the European market.”
Jonathan Davies, strategic account manager for Cat dealer Finning, added: “The new Cat D7E is a truly game changing machine. Having proved itself across the world, this is the first but certainly not the last time we will see this machine in operation in the UK. Veolia Environmental Services are at the forefront of advances in technology in recycling and waste management and for their business to put its trust in Finning and Caterpillar equipment, shows how serious a player the Cat D7E can be in this market.
“Early reports show that there is already a significant drop in their fuel usage. Operators are also extremely happy with the machine, praising the greater control and manoeuvrability, which leads to less operator fatigue.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
