NZX-listed Scott Technology has announced an agreement with Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, that supports both company’s commitments to contribute to a reduced-carbon future. Scott and Caterpillar will develop an automated connection system to support stationary charging of electrified machines including battery mining trucks.

Scott’s expertise in this space derives from its Robofuel product (pictured), which successfully automates the traditional diesel refuelling process of mining vehicles. Under the collaboration, Scott will apply this proprietary technology to enable solutions in electrified applications.

Scott Technology CEO, John Kippenberger, says, Scott is proud to work with a global leader such as Caterpillar on this project. “At Scott we are passionate about pursuing a long-term sustainable future together with our customers and wider stakeholders. We are delighted to support Caterpillar’s efforts to provide its customers with solutions that help them meet their sustainability goals,” says Kippenberger.

Electric mining vehicles will require more recharging interactions than traditional diesel vehicles require refuelling, therefore the need to automate this process is critical to ensuring safety and efficiency.

“Our world leading vision sensing and detection system combined with our robotic technology allows the charging process to be completed in a fraction of the time and without manual intervention, eliminating human risk and labour costs while maximising fleet utilisation. The collaborative efforts will result in a safer and more efficient solution,” says Kippenberger.

“We look forward to working with Scott Technology on this innovative system. This solution is a building block in our electrification and automation portfolio to provide safer and more efficient solutions to our mining customers,” says Brian Weller, Vice President at Caterpillar.