Fuel is one of the most significant costs you’ll incur in your operations - it’s estimated fuel consumption accounts for 30% of your machines operating costs. And with the cost of fuel itself on the rise, keeping consumption low should be a priority regardless of the size and scale of your operations...
In a previous article, we talked about how to reduce idle time to maximize efficiency and lower fuel costs. Today we’ll look at how using Cat® excavators can save on fuel, including what features make it the perfect addition to any fleet.
Cat Excavators help you save on fuel
Large or small, the next generation of Cat excavators have a host of features to lower fuel costs and increase operator efficiency, including innovative technology for performance models, access to telematic data, and biodiesel compatibility.
Let’s take a look at some of them!
Auto-Idle, Auto-Warmup, and Auto-Shutdown
This trio of features keeps your machine from using fuel when it’s not needed.
The auto-idle function sets engine RPMs to max while working and drops to low when idling, cutting down on fuel waste.
The auto-shutdown function works in much the same way, turning off the engine after a certain amount of idling time.
The auto-warmup function primes your machine for work - for maximum efficiency, the physical temperature of every engine should be warmed up before it’s used.
Electro-hydraulic Joystick Controls
Our intuitive, easy-effort joystick controls help operators work quickly and efficiently while conserving fuel so that even less experienced operators can get the job done more effectively.
Cat Grade with 2D and Cat Payload Technology
Cat Grade with 2D helps excavator operators work up to 35% more efficiently in a wide variety of applications. It provides real-time guidance for accurate vertical and horizontal control, ensuring that cuts and fills are made to exact specifications - no under or overcutting.
As a bonus, Cat Grade with 2D also cuts down incidents, improving safety on-site. Read more about this technology on this blog post.
Cat Payload provides accurate, on-the-go weighing so that operators hit exact targets whenever they’re loading materials. Overloading or underloading trucks means less efficient work - and more wasted fuel - something Cat Payload eliminates.
To read more about how it can optimize your operations, read this blog post.
Telematics
Having the right information is integral to making informed decisions about how to cut operating costs. That’s where telematics comes in. The term ‘telematics’ refers to the collecting, storing, and sending of data through telecommunications channels.
How does it lower fuel costs?
With telematics, you get accurate information about hours worked, fuel burned by each machine per task, plus up-to-the-minute data about idle times.
To learn more about telematics, check out this blog article.
Biodiesel
Given how much fuel costs have been fluctuating, knowing about alternative biofuels like biodiesel is a great way to cut costs. Made from vegetable oils, animal fats, and even natural gas, biodiesel can be a reliable way to replace petroleum-sourced diesel with something renewable and homegrown.
Innovative Cat Excavators: Changing the Game
We’ve looked at how Cat excavators can lower your fuel costs and help your operators work more efficiently. But these exceptional machines offer more than just innovative features.
Our excavators are versatile machines that can handle a large variety of applications and come with the legendary after-sale service you’ve come to expect from us.
That means lower total operating costs, access to our team of experts, and much more.
Check out our wide selection of Cat excavators in stock!
