Bobcat goes Rogue

23 January 2024

Bobcat has been developing an autonomous wheel loader that is designed to do away with the need for an operator. 

To be unveiled at Intermat 2024 taking place in Paris this April, the new RogueX2 wheel loader concept model has been developed from the RogueX concept machine at the Conexpo show in Las Vegas last year. 

The all-electric machine produces zero emissions and incorporates a lithium-ion battery, electric drive system and electric actuated lift and tilt kinematics with no hydraulics.

Specifically designed and built without a cab, the RogueX2 and RogueX concept machines address the challenges of workforce shortages by eliminating the need for an operator. 

Bobcat believes that they also provide the blueprint for how work machines of the future can be designed and optimised for new technologies to enable an entirely new work experience. 

In RogueX2, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is replaced with an electric power train for power and drive. This eliminates all hydraulics, including connectors, hoses, tube lines and fittings that are common failure points. 

The original RogueX was designed with tracks and uses workgroup kinematics to offer functionality that combines vertical-path, radial-path and variable-path lift capabilities in one machine. 

In contrast, RogueX2 has with wheels instead of tracks to optimise battery run time. It also features axial flux motors, which are said to give the machine superior tractive effort and greater power for demanding applications. 

Joel Honeyman, Doosan Bobcat Vice President of Global Innovation, says that both concept loaders have many new patents pending.