Prime Drilling was the first HDD manufacturer to offer all three as their own purpose-built platforms — not spec options bolted onto a diesel rig. You choose the drive that fits your site, your emission rules and your economics. The rig stays a Prime Drilling rig.
FHE isn't a switch on a datasheet — it's a platform philosophy. We build the same proven HDD platform around three drive concepts, each engineered for the way it actually works on site. Same capability. Three honest answers to one question: how should this rig be powered?
It comes down to the site, the rules and the economics. Here's how each earns its place.
Proven diesel, full autonomy. The drive that asks nothing of the site: no power connection, no infrastructure — just fuel and go. Mature and robust, serviced and stocked worldwide, and it scales all the way up to the largest pull classes we build. Usually the lowest cost to get started, too.
Here the diesel engine is replaced by an electric motor, fed from the grid or a generator. A small on-board diesel only moves the rig into position, so you stay flexible and never need the power unit permanently connected. Fewer wear parts than a combustion engine mean less maintenance and less that can fail; the electric system absorbs peaks and idle, so consumption drops; and because the motor is lighter and the built-on diesel tank can shrink or disappear, the rig gets easier to transport and to permit. Run it off the grid where you have one — or off a generator, even an older one, in parts of the world where diesel quality can't be trusted.
A purpose-built electric platform — engineered around the drivetrain, not converted from a diesel rig, so nothing is a compromise. Power comes from a generator as standard, from the grid where one is available, or — in rare cases — from a 20 ft battery container. Zero local emissions and no exhaust put it at home in emission zones and city centres, and it runs quiet enough for night shifts and sensitive surroundings. Where power is cheaper than diesel, operating cost drops — and with far fewer wear parts, so does maintenance. The electric drive delivers precise, instantly available torque for controlled drilling, and keeps you ahead of tightening regulation and ESG-driven tenders.
The same rig capability, three ways to power it.
| Fuel | Hybrid | Electric | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local emissions | Yes | Reduced | None |
| Noise | High | Lower | Very low |
| Power source | Diesel — fully autonomous | Grid or generator; small diesel to reposition | Generator (standard) · grid (rare) · 20 ft battery container (very rare) |
| Maintenance | Standard diesel | Reduced | Lowest |
| Best for | Remote / off-grid, largest classes | Cleaner & lighter, flexible power | Emission zones, urban, night |
Every electric Prime Drilling rig is engineered around its drivetrain from the ground up. That's why it performs like a purpose-built machine — because it is one. It's the difference between a rig designed to be electric and a diesel rig with the engine swapped out.
Every platform, every class — pick a drive and dive in.