At PIPELINE™ 2025, I got out in the MX booth with Riley Peterson to talk through what’s actually changing in underground gas utility work—and what’s been overlooked for way too long. We start where the work happens: in and above the trench. From cutting and breaking concrete, to excavation, pumping water, electrofusion, and compaction back to grade, gas utility is a repeatable, linear workflow. The problem is crews are still chasing power with truck inverters, big generators, and extension cords—creating trip hazards, noise, and reliability risks when the job is already unscheduled and high-pressure. The biggest takeaway is that battery-powered equipment isn’t about specs on paper—it’s about removing “gas headaches” in the real world. Exhaust collects in trenches the same way it does indoors, and I’ve heard straight from crews how going home without a headache matters. Riley breaks down why electrofusion has seen limited innovation, and why power dependency is a real risk—especially if you run out of fuel mid-fusion and now you’re cutting pipe out and excavating even more. With the MX FUEL™ Electrofusion Processor, we focused on uptime: removable packs, lighter carry, field-replaceable leads and screen protection, and One-Key™ data access so tools stay in the field and crews keep moving safely and efficiently.