Caterpillar signs agreement for electric off-highway trucks

Caterpillar, Irving, Texas, has signed an electrification agreement with CRH to advance deployment of Caterpillar’s zero-exhaust emissions solutions. CRH is the No. 1 aggregates producer in North America and the first company in that industry to sign such an agreement with Caterpillar, according to a Caterpillar press release.

The agreement is focused on accelerating the deployment of Caterpillar’s 70- to 100-ton-class battery electric off-highway trucks and charging solutions at a CRH site in North America. Through the agreement, CRH will participate in Caterpillar’s Early Learner program for battery electric off-highway trucks, testing and validating the units in real-world applications. CRH will also provide voice of customer feedback to address safety, performance, operational and compliance requirements for the aggregates industry.

“We are pleased to work with CRH, as our first aggregates industry customer, to expand our electrification solutions beyond mining. When it comes to sustainability, the quarry and aggregates industry requires diverse solutions. Our collaboration with CRH is an exciting opportunity to learn together and gain valuable insights into how our products can best support CRH’s long-term objectives to decarbonize its operations,” said Denise Johnson, Caterpillar’s resource industries group president.

The collaboration supports CRH’s climate-related objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by utilizing more sustainable equipment. CRH has set a target to deliver a 30 percent reduction in absolute carbon emissions by 2030 (from a 2021 base year) and an ambition to be a net-zero business by 2050.

Scott Parson, president, CRH Americas Materials solutions, said, “At CRH, we recognize that collaboration and innovation are critical to delivering our industry-leading decarbonization targets and achieving our ambition of net-zero by 2050. Through this partnership with Caterpillar, we will advance the use of sustainable equipment in our operations and build on our shared commitment to a low-carbon future.”