When Bobcat designed this construction vehicle, it wasn’t enough to go electric. It reimagined the entire thing

Bobcat is one of the winners of Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards. Explore the full list of projects we’re honoring for making the world more equitable, accessible, and sustainable.



The construction industry has a notoriously large carbon footprint, nearly 40% of global emissions. In a move to address its own contributions to the problem, last year Bobcat launched the T7X, the world’s first all-electric compact track loader, a commonly used construction vehicle with tracks instead of wheels and a large bucket in front for loading heavy materials. Bobcat’s T7X is the winner of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award in the Transportation category.



Not only has Bobcat replaced the main diesel engine of its vehicle with electric power, it’s also electrified the hydraulic system, reducing the amount of potentially toxic fluids the system requires.



[Photo: Bobcat]



The T7X runs on a gallon and a half of propylene glycol coolant (rated safe by the Food and Drug Administration) and less than 2 ounces of gear-box oil as opposed to the nearly 60 gallons of fluids required to run a conventional diesel loader. These improvements eliminate both air and noise pollution on job sites, which often are located in densely populated urban areas. The vehicle is also comprised of 40% fewer components, which makes maintenance significantly easier and reduces the number of parts that might need to be replaced, providing another environmental benefit.



[Photo: Bobcat]



Sunbelt Rentals, one of the country’s largest equipment rental companies, has purchased a fleet of these vehicles for its California locations, allowing prospective customers to try before they buy. Joel Honeyman, Bobcat global innovation VP, says that people in the construction industry are skeptical of “sustainable” options. “That’s just the world we live in,” he says. “So we need to do a lot of education with people—get them in the seat, have them try it out.”