I always thought they should be first. They are order of magnitude more utilised than passenger cars (at least 30% of time compared to 5% or so). They produce tons of noise and are more complex than electric.
It just hasn’t been cost effective until now. Tesla saw this and started with a very expensive roadster and just recently ended up with more affordable options like the Model 3.
Industrial equipment is either making money or spending it. I look forward to the cost optimization that will come with battery powered heavy machinery.
Thinking aloud: how can the electrical grid keep up? Surely we need to invest in this area, too.
Not that surprising actually, the static models (ie a crane in a scrapyard) have been electric for a long time.
If anything, the biggest challenge / last bastion will be for the highly mobile operations, bringing all the needed infrastructure to power them, which isn't as much as problem with diesel.
Maybe we'll see trucks mounted with large arrays of batteries to deploy on the field.
ironically enough, there are more and more electric drilling rigs now, especially when drilling in-fill wells in established fields or near/in cities. they don't use battery power though, just temporary power lines and a mobile transformer skid.
Worked at an open pit mine in the 90's...electric shovels. Cat had just come out with a diesel one when I was leaving. If you go huge electric is the only thing that will power it and the danger of fire from secondary forces like friction are greatly reduced. Friction provides the heat and you don't want a fuel source close.
