With an eye toward enhanced sustainability and productivity, Doosan Bobcat, Inc., a company within the Doosan Group, will showcase its latest Bobcat-branded product and technology concepts at CES 2024 in Las Vegas next month. The brand’s focus at CES will be the merging of existing products with new technologies and will include new, all-electric versions of its well-known skid-steer and the second iteration of a track loader concept.

“As a pioneer in the compact equipment industry, we are continually innovating to create solutions for our customers’ toughest challenges,” said Joel Honeyman, Doosan Bobcat Vice President of Global Innovation. “By combining emerging technologies with our proven products, we are developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the demands of a changing world as we transform how we work, build, and live.”

Bobcat claims the S7X being shown at CES is the “world’s first” all-electric skid steer loader. Introduced at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 tradeshow in April, it follows the introduction of the T7X, the “world’s first” all-electric compact track loader shown at CES 2022.

The S7X features a 60.5-kW·h lithium-ion battery, electric drive motors, and ball screw actuators for lift and tilt functions. The machine offers operators a smooth and comfortable experience with minimal vibration and nearly silent operation.

Its battery and electrical powertrain generate instantaneous torque that is as much as three times greater than traditional diesel-powered loaders. By eliminating the hydraulics, Bobcat claims the S7X has 50% fewer components, simpler componentry, and 96% less fluid, coolants, and lubricants than traditional diesel-hydraulic loaders.

The machine can operate for up to 8 h on a single charge depending on the application, giving most operators more than a full day’s work when breaks and downtime are considered. A full charge takes approximately 10 h.

As with the T7X, for the S7X Bobcat collaborated with motion-control supplier Moog and battery-system maker Viridi. Creator of Green Machine products, Viridi’s lithium-ion battery systems are redefining energy storage for industrial applications traditionally powered by fossil fuel energy.

The new product is already earning some accolades. Bobcat was recognized as a CES Innovation Awards Honoree for the S7X in the categories of Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy and Smart Cities. Presented annually by the Consumer Technology Association, the awards recognize outstanding product design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Another electric product featured by Bobcat at CES is the brand’s latest concept track loader, the RogueX2. Like its RogueX predecessor also shown at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023, the new concept was built to advance the Bobcat innovation roadmap, evaluate customer perceptions, and challenge the paradigms of traditional kinematics and machine functionality.

While most details of the new RogueX2 are being saved for CES 2024, expect an update of the earlier RogueX, a machine said to be in a category all its own. Designed without a cab, the concept machine explores the idea of operating where humans cannot go to tackle more work in more places from an autonomous or remote position.

“RogueX was concepted with consideration for the worksite of the future and how a customer’s needs may evolve—with a focus on ease of use, remote operations, autonomous functionality, sustainable operations, and features that allow operators to accomplish more with one machine,” said Honeyman, in April.

By building the loader without a cab and using advanced kinematics, RogueX features next-generation unique functionality, including vertical-path and radial-path lift capabilities in one machine.

“After our successful development of building an all-electric loader [the Bobcat T7X], we wanted to think bigger, broader, and take a leap far into the future,” said Matt Sagaser, Director of Innovation Accelerated at Bobcat, in April. “Our dedicated innovation team took a bold approach and designed a machine that breaks all of the rules. RogueX sets a framework for what is possible, and our team is just getting started on what is next.”

The Bobcat display at CES 2024 will include several other new products, including a concept machine that is designed to make farming more sustainable, efficient, and smart through AI, autonomy, and electric operation; a new transparent, touch display concept developed with LG Electronics and BSI Research, which enables operators to view both the job site and operation information; and a new autonomous, zero-turn mower.

 

Kevin Jost contributed to this article.