Lumina ML6 Moonlander is an All-Electric Dozer That Can Be Remotely Operated

Heavy machinery doesn’t often spark pleasure, however Lumina’s ML6 Moonlander, a 32-ton all-electric bulldozer unveiled earlier this month, is right here to alter that. This San Francisco startup’s beast, dubbed the Tesla of heavy gear, swaps diesel’s roar for quiet, high-tech muscle that’s able to reshape building websites.

Powering the Moonlander is a 750-horsepower electrical motor that delivers the type of muscle you’d count on from a diesel-guzzling big, however with out the roar or fumes. It could shove grime, rocks, or no matter else you throw at it for 8 to 10 hours on a single cost, due to a battery system designed for real-world grit. Have to juice up? Plug it right into a 300 kW charger, and it rockets from zero to 80% in simply 50 minutes—quicker than your cellphone. A full cost takes a bit over an hour, and even a fast 30-minute lunch break can get you to 50%. Regenerative braking, like what you’d discover in an electrical automotive, helps squeeze additional life out of each cost by recapturing power because the beast slows down.

Lumina Dozer in motion. Fairly cool. pic.twitter.com/LySV9LxHSM

— Connor Kapoor (@connor_kapoor) May 22, 2025

Lumina’s founder, Ahmed Shubber, calls the Moonlander “a 32-ton modular electrical dozer—designed & constructed from scratch to deal with real-world work and prepare our personal autonomy stack.” That modularity is vital. Not like conventional bulldozers, the Moonlander’s design permits for modifications and upgrades, whether or not it’s swapping attachments or boosting its mind by way of over-the-air software program updates. This isn’t only a machine; it’s a platform that may evolve, very similar to a smartphone getting new options with every replace. Shubber’s imaginative and prescient is daring: “That is simply the beginning. Extra merchandise. Larger income targets. Unforgettable moments.”

What units the Moonlander aside is its eerie silence. Conventional bulldozers rumble like a thunderstorm, however this one glides together with simply the crunch of its 36-inch metal tracks and the scrape of no matter it’s pushing. That quiet operation isn’t only a celebration trick—it’s a security and luxury win for employees on noisy, chaotic websites. Image a building zone the place you possibly can truly hear your coworkers with out shouting over an engine’s growl. Plus, with no diesel engine to take care of, there’s much less downtime and fewer oil-stained complications.

Distant operation is the place the Moonlander begins to really feel prefer it rolled out of a sci-fi flick. Outfitted with 360-degree cameras, it may be managed from afar, letting operators sort out harmful terrain or hazardous situations from the protection of a management room—or perhaps a cozy workplace miles away. This isn’t a gimmick; it’s a lifeline for jobs like mining or catastrophe restoration, the place preserving people out of hurt’s means is paramount. The distant capabilities will also be upgraded by way of these over-the-air updates, making certain the dozer stays sharp as tech advances.

The Moonlander’s 15-foot blade is one other standout. It’s double the quantity of a typical bulldozer blade, which means it might probably transfer extra materials in a single go—consider it as a snow shovel on steroids. This makes it a rival to heavyweights like Caterpillar’s D9, regardless of being nearer in dimension to the smaller D6. Lumina didn’t simply slap an electrical motor on an outdated chassis, both.

Lumina’s ambitions don’t cease right here. The corporate is already engaged on a 100-ton beast known as the Blade Runner, hinting at a lineup that might shake up the business. Posts on social media notice Lumina’s aim to be “the Tesla of heavy gear.” That’s not simply hype—the Moonlander’s mix of energy, sustainability, and tech makes it a severe contender in a area dominated by diesel dinosaurs.

Development isn’t recognized for being inexperienced, however the Moonlander challenges that. By ditching fossil fuels, it cuts emissions on websites that sometimes belch smoke. It’s not excellent—mining the supplies for its batteries has its personal environmental toll—but it surely’s a step towards a cleaner business. For contractors, the true draw is likely to be the long-term financial savings: no gas prices, much less upkeep, and a machine that may adapt to new duties.
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