PEORIA, Ill. – Caterpillar Inc. unveiled the first model in its new line of hybrid excavators, the Cat 336E H, at a special trade press event called “The Next Generation is Here.” The Cat 336E H uses a new hydraulic hybrid technology developed by Caterpillar.

“A hybrid is independent of any particular technology-it doesn’t have to be electric,” said Ken Gray, global product manager for large hydraulic excavators for Caterpillar’s Excavation Division. “There are many ways to store and reuse energy, including our patented hydraulic hybrid system featured on the Cat 336E H.”

Gray continued, “The 336E H also meets stringent Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emission standards. It is extraordinarily quiet, too. So it’s a socially responsible machine for our customers to own, and they will sacrifice nothing in terms of performance, power, force, speed or production.”

“Customers aren’t going to choose the 336E H simply because it is sustainable,” said Gary Stampanato, vice president of Caterpillar’s Excavation Division. “They will select it because it actually lowers their owning and operating costs, and maintains the performance of our industry leader, the 336E.”

The 336E includes several enhancements over its predecessor, including more horsepower with greater fuel efficiency, more lift capability, higher digging force and automatic aftertreatment regeneration.

The 336E H has all of the same powerful advantages of the 336E with the biggest difference between the two models being even greater fuel efficiency. To achieve added fuel savings, the design of the 336E H uses three building block technologies that:

1) Conserve fuel with engine power management via the Cat Electronic Standardized Programmable (ESP) pump, which smoothly transitions between the hydraulic hybrid power sources, engine and accumulator.
2) Optimize performance using restriction management via the patented Cat Adaptive Control System (ACS) valve, which intelligently manages restrictions and flows to seamlessly control machine motion with no loss of power, and to ensure operators experience no difference in control, hydraulic power or lift capability.
3) Reuse energy via the hydraulic hybrid swing system, which captures the excavator’s upper structure swing brake energy in accumulators, and then releases the energy during swing acceleration.

The 336E H delivers productivity with up to 50 percent greater fuel efficiency, which is measured in tons per liter. Customers can expect the 336E H to use up to 25 percent less fuel compared to a standard 336E, and up to 33 percent less fuel than the 330/336D. All three of the technology building blocks – Conserve, Optimize and Reuse – are integrated together to maximize fuel savings in a variety of applications. Even in low-intensity swing applications, customers will experience significant fuel savings because of the Conserve and Optimize technologies.

Because the 336E H burns less fuel and reduces regulated engine emissions, owning and operating costs will be dramatically lower and its carbon footprint will be smaller as well. Assuming today’s fuel prices and a high-production application for a 336E H, Caterpillar estimates customers can realistically expect to see a return on their investment for the hybrid excavator model in as little as one year.

The design of the 336E H uses Cat hydraulic components with a record of proven durability and reliability for maximum uptime and productivity. Also like a standard machine, 336E H components can be replaced or rebuilt to maximize the hybrid’s service life.

The 336E H will be sold and serviced exclusively through the global Cat dealer network following the machine’s official launch at bauma 2013 in Munich, Germany. The order board for the Cat 336E H opens in Feb. 2013, with factory shipments beginning in March 2013.