A TracStar® 900i showcasing a new concept – an electrical Perkins engine “dropped in” to replace its typical diesel engine – debuted at bauma 2025 in Munich, Germany.
This “plug and play” battery unit is part of Perkins’ efforts to enable off-highway Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to easily transition from diesel to a battery electric powertrain.
In 2024, Perkins reached out to McElroy to share that the company was developing a battery power unit to replace existing diesel engines. In this case, the battery unit replaced the TracStar 900i‘s 3.6 liter 904 Series diesel engine, also manufactured by Perkins.
“This is a fully integrated battery drop-in solution, reducing the need for OEMs to invest in costly engineering and design projects and allowing them to electrify their machinery quickly and cost-effectively, without sacrificing performance,” said Jaz Gill, Vice President of Perkins global sales, marketing, service and parts.
The battery unit was designed to fit into the same chassis space as the 904 Series engine, with the same mechanical connections and electrical interface points.
“Their team has done a phenomenal job of integrating their battery electric system into our TracStar 900i. We’re really excited to see what the market thinks about this concept.”
McElroy President and CEO Chip McElroy