MINING TRUCKS
updates to be scheduled and executed at a time that doesn’ t interrupt the production schedule. Remote Troubleshoot enables the dealer to perform diagnostics remotely while the truck is still in operation, it added.
Liebherr’ s electrification solutions for mining trucks
Decarbonisation was one of the key focus areas of this year’ s bauma. To demonstrate Liebherr’ s commitment to supporting customers as they decarbonise their mining operations, the group’ s mining product segment exhibited two of its impressive
Liebherr Power Rail system with T 264 Battery Electric truck at bauma 2025
electrification solutions: the T 264 Battery Electric truck and the R 9400 E electric excavator.
“ Electrification is an important part of our strategy for offering fossil fuel free options for all of our mining equipment by 2030,” explained Oliver Weiss, Executive Vice President of R & D and production for Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS.“ The solutions we are bringing with us to bauma this year highlight the incredible strides we’ ve made in this area.”
The T 264 Battery Electric truck displayed on the Liebherr booth represents the culmination of years of hard work within the Liebherr – Fortescue partnership and also showcases the value of working hand-in-hand with industry partners. The battery-electric T 264 is a 240 t mining truck powered by a 3.2 MW battery, which was developed by Fortescue Zero – Fortescue’ s technology arm.
The T 264 Battery Electric truck supports both static and dynamic charging; and options for both were on display at bauma. The stationary fast-charging solution on the booth was developed by Fortescue. It delivers up to 6 MW of power, enabling the battery-electric T 264 to charge in under an hour. Liebherr is also showcasing the Liebherr Power Rail, a class-agnostic dynamic charging concept based on Liebherr’ s proven trolley bar technology.
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Besides being equipped with cuttingedge zero emission technology, the T 264 battery-electric truck on display at bauma was outfitted with the Autonomous Haulage Solution( AHS) – another development courtesy of the Liebherr – Fortescue partnership. The AHS includes an Energy Management System that coordinates the static recharge assignments for batteryelectric trucks and ensures the charger is fully utilised without causing queuing on site.
The T 264 Battery Electric truck enters validation this year. Liebherr will deliver 360 units of these trucks to Fortescue’ s Australian operations before the end of 2030. As for the full autonomous batteryelectric solution – the validation process will begin in 2026.
IM saw the Power Rail system up close on the Liebherr battery electric T 264 truck at bauma 2025. It is based on Liebherr’ s proven trolley bar technology and can work with its existing diesel-electric and battery-electric haulage solutions as well as alternative powertrain technology such as ammonia and fuel cell.
Traditional trolley technology supplies this power via an overhead catenary system supported by masts that stand up to 15 m tall. The trucks on site connect to the catenary system using either a pantograph or bar connection that then passes electricity through to the truck’ s powertrain.
On the other hand, Liebherr Power Rail will have a current collector installed onto the side of the truck that extends out and connects with the system’ s current conducting rail profile. The rail profile will be supported by precast concrete foundations and standard H-beam masts that stand 4.5 m tall – one-third of the height of those needed for traditional trolley.
The infrastructure that will be used for the Liebherr Power Rail concept is a ready-made solution from the rail industry Liebherr has harnessed for mining operations.“ This is one of the factors that will make Liebherr Power Rail much faster and easier to install than traditional trolley. And while this part of the system is not unique, the current collector – which is currently in development – will be.”
Liebherr adds:“ The current collector’ s design is based on our proven trolley bar technology. In previous iterations, our trolley bar technology used two bars. For the Liebherr Power Rail’ s current collector design, we combined the two bars into a single insulated trolley bar with carbonbased sliders that will act as the point of contact between the rail and the current collector. We are working with key industry partners for the design and supply of the current collector and our engineering teams are working to integrate this new technology into our range of mining trucks.”
The current collector will allow up to 2.6 m of lateral freedom.“ We understand that no matter how well-kept haul roads on site are, obstacles can crop up. This lateral freedom will allow operators to avoid these obstacles while maintaining optimal levels of productivity. We can achieve this level of lateral movement because of the length of the current collector itself. The length will allow the current collector to rotate around the axis at the base of its fibreglass pole, meaning the system won’ t be at risk of being pulled down. When trucks need to drive off of the haul roads to avoid obstacles, they’ re more likely to‘ bounce’ over the rough terrain – like driving over loose gravel in a car. The torque at the base of the pole will capture the upward force from the truck’ s vertical movements, preventing the impact from affecting the current collector.”
When trucks need to avoid obstacles that require more clearance than the lateral freedom will allow, the current collector can disconnect and reconnect as needed. The collector will be able to do this by using a similar system to its trolley bar connector.
Funnels installed at strategic locations within the system’ s infrastructure will guide the head of the current collector into the correct position to ensure a secure connection. The trucks will then be able to safely disconnect from the system at any point during the haul cycle with a simple flip of a switch – whether this is done manually by the operator in the cab or autonomously by one of Liebherr’ s Assistance Systems.
Outside of reducing fuel consumption – and therefore greenhouse gas emissions – the biggest benefit of Liebherr Power Rail will be that it has fewer components than traditional trolley; fewer components that will be easier to install.“ In fact, installing the masts will be quite similar to installing streetlamp posts. With fewer components, Liebherr Power Rail will be able to be installed in a fraction of the time needed to install a catenary system – which means you’ ll be able to see the benefits of dynamic power transfer technology on your site much faster. Having fewer components also means that Liebherr Power Rail will be able to be more easily relocated to other locations on site. And with fewer components, Liebherr Power Rail will be a more economical option than traditional trolley.”
It adds that this system will also be far less intrusive on the haul roads than traditional trolley, adding to its ability to be easily installed or relocated on site. Rather than needing up to 5 m of clearance between a truck and traditional trolley system infrastructure, the masts and rail of Liebherr Power Rail will take up essentially the same amount of space as a berm.
Trucks running under Liebherr Power Rail will be able to travel at higher speeds
International Mining | JULY 2025