MINING TRUCKS
Product Planning , added : “ We are intent on enabling multiple pathways to carbon neutrality for industrial markets , including both first-fit and retrofit solutions . It ’ s partnerships with our customers like NHL and Baiyun iron mine that will accelerate product availability in the market and make both near- and long-term carbon reduction goals attainable .”
In 2023 , Cummins also announced approval of unblended renewable diesel use in all its industrial high-horsepower engines .
EACON ’ s new hybrid ET100 moves ahead
The use of smaller wide body trucks as an alternative or as a complement to larger trucks is still on the radar of major miners and contractors , as evidenced by the recent announcement that China ’ s EACON Mining and Australian mining contractor MACA , part of Thiess , are actively pursuing the development and importation of battery electric mining trucks and hybrid battery mining trucks into the Australian market . These trucks , manufactured by different OEMs , will be embedded with EACON new energy systems , drive by wire systems , autonomous capabilities and will conform to regional standards / regulations .
The latest innovation from EACON is the new ET100 , a collaboration between EACON and truck OEM major Tonly . Tonly Heavy Industries is EACON Mining ’ s oldest OEM cooperation partner and the largest producer of wide body dump trucks in China . This new hybrid truck with regenerative braking and smart energy distribution EACON says represents another step forward in the cooperation of EACON and Tonly with a fuel efficient new energy truck solution . The new truck prototype features drive by wire and an energy control system design by EACON along with a tried and tested base truck from Tonly .
After successful prototype testing , the ET100 is now in the market at three minesites - up to June 2024 , 40 ET100 units are already running in autonomous mode at these locations and as production progresses , more ET100 units will be deployed .
EACON also works closely with other major Chinese wide body truck makers – including LGMG , with whom it developed the EL100 autonomous hybrid mining truck . By June 2024 , a total of 239 EL100 trucks had been deployed across six minesites including TBEA ’ s South Pit coal mine .
And EACON has also collaborated closely with Yutong , delivering an autonomous haulage solution for the all battery electric YTK90E truck . A fleet of these trucks has been running very successfully at a limestone mining project of Shandong Honghe Baili Mining .
Overall , today , EACON Mining has deployed autonomous wide body mining trucks to 10 minesites , with this number growing all the time .
HCM continues to progress trolley battery project
In 2023 , Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd completed the test machine version of an engineless , full battery rigid frame dump truck and in early 2024 , the test machine was shipped from Hitachi Construction Machinery ’ s Hitachinaka-Rinko Works in Japan to the Kansanshi copper and gold mine operated by First Quantum Minerals Ltd in the Republic of Zambia . The company also confirmed to IM that this test machine is based on the EH4000 AC-3 platform and has a nominal payload of 200 tons . Renae Muller , GM International Operations at HCM discussed the project at The Electric Mine 2024 : “ Hitachi Construction Machinery ’ s roadmap extends well beyond 2030 - however our trolley battery truck is our first prototype in our research and development quest towards
The EACON hybrid ET100 is a collaboration between EACON Mining and truck OEM Tonly
The HCM battery-trolley EH4000 before shipping to FQM Kansanshi in Zambia where it has now arrived and will soon commence testing with dynamic charging
carbon neutral mining . Leveraging off our proven trolley technology enables us to focus our R & D efforts into proving the battery and the energy management required to move towards a full battery truck .”
The OEM stated : “ With environmental awareness on the rise in the mining industry , there is growing interest in the electrification of mining machinery as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions . To meet the high customer demand for the electrification of dump trucks in particular , which are operated in large numbers at mining sites , Hitachi Construction Machinery began collaborating with ABB Ltd in June 2021 to develop the full battery dump truck . On March 1 , 2023 , Hitachi Construction Machinery signed a letter of intent ( LOI ) with First Quantum to establish a zero-emission partnership , and the companies plan to conduct technological feasibility trials using the full battery dump truck test machine at First Quantum ’ s Kansanshi copper and gold mine .”
Hitachi Construction Machinery adds that it has accelerated the development speed of the full battery dump truck by applying proven technology from the current trolley charging type rigid dump trucks . Hitachi Construction Machinery tested the basic operations of the full battery dump truck test machine at Hitachinaka- Rinko Works , by gradually combining the battery charging and discharging system , pantograph , and other power supply systems with the drive system that controls the travel of the dump truck . After it was confirmed that all systems were operating properly , the test machine was ready to be sent to the mining site in Zambia . The technological feasibility trials , which are set to begin in mid-2024 , aim to verify the basic performance of operations required of a dump truck , such as traveling , turning , and stopping under actual operating loads , as well as the battery charging and discharging cycles .
First Quantum , which presently operates 41
40 International Mining | JULY 2024