Caterpillar shows new C13D flexible fuel engine at Bauma

Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems announced it will showcase a range of optimized, fuel-flexible engines, integrated advanced power technologies and services solutions at Bauma 2025.

The exhibit in Hall A4, Stand 336, includes the Cat C13D, which won a Power Progress Engine of the Year Award in 2024, and a new high-power C3.6 delivering 106 kW (142 hp). The exhibit features the first showing of a series hybrid power expansion powertrain, part of a growing electrification ecosystem of solutions from Caterpillar, alongside a hydrogen engine testing exhibit highlighting the company’s ongoing fuels development work. A showcase of Cat parts and services solutions, including condition monitoring and a remanufactured C7, will complement these.

The New C13D Engine

Caterpillar said the 13L inline six-cylinder C13D diesel engine platform is designed to achieve best-in-class power density, torque and fuel efficiency for optimizing the performance of heavy-duty off-highway applications.

The C13D will offer eight power ratings from 340 to 515 kW (456 to 690 hp) with up to 3,200 Nm (2,360 lb.-ft) of peak torque. Engine-mounted aftertreatment and cooling packs will also be available from the factory to reduce installation and validation costs, Cat said.

Cat’s C13D engine. (Photo: Caterpillar)

The C13D, which goes into production in 2026, will meet key emissions standards, including EU Stage V, U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final, China Nonroad Stage IV, Korea Stage V and Japan 2014, with models available for less regulated markets.

By supplying more power and torque available from Caterpillar’s current 13, 15 and single-turbo 18L engine platforms, the company said the C13D platform provides an opportunity for OEMs to downsize the engine and simplify design, assembly and supply chain requirements across multiple applications. This consolidation can also reduce maintenance, parts and technical training complexity for end users.

The Cat C13D has been designed for use in a wide range of off-highway equipment, Cat said. These include rock crushers, screeners, and grinders; trenchers; agriculture tractors, harvesters and self-propelled sprayers; woodchippers; material-handling equipment; and large industrial pumps.

“Off-highway OEMs and equipment owners face a rapidly evolving business environment that demands improved worksite productivity and reduced operating costs while addressing increasingly stringent emissions standards,” said Steve Ferguson, senior vice president for Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems. “Internal combustion engines are the prevailing workhorses on most jobsites around the world, which is why we’ve invested in the next-generation Cat C13D diesel engine platform to address their challenges.”

The engine platform offers up to a 20 percent increase in power and up to 25 percent more low-speed torque over the previous generation of Cat engines in its power class. It is designed to perform at altitudes of up to 12,000 ft, which is twice as high as legacy Cat engines, and in extreme ambient temperatures as high as 140º F (60º C) and as low as -40º F (-40º C) with aids. Extended service intervals — 1,000 hours oil and fuel filters — will reduce operating costs and downtime, Cat said.

The Cat C3.6 engine. (Photo: Caterpillar)

By modularizing and eliminating components, the engine’s architecture is space-protected to accommodate configuration adjustments anticipated for future tiers of emission standards in the U.S. and EU without relocating customer connection points.

The Cat C13D engine platform also allows the use of renewable liquid fuels such as 100-percent hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), up to B20 biodiesel for models with aftertreatment and B100 for models without aftertreatment.

Additionally, its core architecture is designed to support future development for a range of alternative fuels, such as natural gas and hydrogen. In late 2024, Caterpillar started work on an advanced hydrogen-hybrid project, leveraging the new C13D engine platform. The three-year program will develop a transient-capable system for off-highway applications.

New Series Hybrid Power Expansion Powertrain

Caterpillar said it offers its customers a wide range of drivetrain options, including a variety of non-traditional solutions, offering options in both fuel flexibility and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

At Bauma, Caterpillar has combined its diesel electric experience with its battery experience to showcase a hybrid solution for customers looking to reduce their emissions and increase system efficiency. The series hybrid power expansion powertrain is an advanced electrified system designed to optimize power efficiency, performance and fuel consumption across demanding applications.

At its core, a Cat engine drives a generator, converting mechanical energy into electrical power. The inverter manages power distribution, directing energy from the generator and battery to the electric motors that drive the machine.

“Combining the engine and battery provides higher power capability than using either an engine or battery alone,” Ferguson said.

The hybrid capability allows for zero emissions when running on battery power, and with the proper equipment, the series hybrid power expansion powertrain can become a mobile power source with power export capability for stand-alone power use.

Hydrogen Development

Caterpillar said it has a dedicated team of engineers testing and developing their expertise on a range of alternative fuels, including hydrogen, and how these can be used to power the internal combustion engines of the future.

“At Bauma, we’re showcasing our ongoing learning through a simulated test cell environment, with an engine which has been run on 100 percent hydrogen,” Ferguson said. “Caterpillar has developed multiple engines with hydrogen over the past three decades, and we will be continuing to apply those lessons learned through the advanced hydrogen-hybrid project, leveraging the versatile new C13D engine platform, which started late last year.”