Heavy machinery can waste three quarters of the energy fed into it. The battery may not be the real electrification bottleneck.

In this episode, I speak with Hiten Sonpal, CEO of Rise Robotics, about a neglected part of the energy transition: the hydraulic systems inside construction, mining, and port machinery.

You’ll hear why conventional hydraulics are only around 25% efficient, how that forces manufacturers to install larger batteries, and why electric heavy equipment can become commercially unviable before it reaches the market.

We dig into how Rise Robotics’ beltdraulic systems replace oil and pressure with belts and pulleys - cutting battery size, charging demand, downtime, maintenance, and hydraulic leaks. Hiten also explains how drive-by-wire creates the data needed for teleoperation, digital twins, and autonomous machinery.

You might be shocked to learn that better efficiency can matter more than better batteries. That shift could reduce costs across the machine, charging network, and grid, while accelerating decarbonisation, emissions reduction, and progress towards net zero.

We also examine where adoption may happen first, from mining and ports to marine and food production, and why policy alone cannot solve this industrial transition.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Hiten Sonpal and Rise Robotics are turning overlooked climate tech into cleaner heavy industry.

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