BATTERY AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES
EACON , which , as of February 2024 , had deployed 245 battery-electric and hybrid-battery haulage trucks ; and North Hauler Joint Stock Co ., Ltd . ( NHL ), which with Alta Technology has already converted a 100 tonne mining truck resulting to battery-electric form with the TR100E platform .
Krunal Desai , co-founder and Vice President of Research & Development at First Mode , says the company is in active negotiations with several mining companies interested in deploying its HEV retrofit solution on their Komatsu 830E and 930E electric drive trucks
The path to zero
Another company looking to accelerate this shift is First Mode , which has devised a Path to Zero™ product line to help previously hard-to-abate sectors like mining decarbonise .
The company is gearing up to serve heavy industry more broadly , yet the majority of its exploits to date come in mining on surface haul trucks . This includes the initial nuGen™ Haulage Solution , a converted proof-of-concept fuel-cell powered 930E truck , which completed operational trials at Anglo American ’ s Mogalakwena platinum mine , in South Africa , last year .
First Mode has also completed a large 8 t mega battery module at its battery R & D operation , in Perth , for its next generation fuel cell demonstration mining truck . The truck is based on a Komatsu 930E which is already at its Centralia test site in the US . The battery will be integrated into the truck along with Ballard hydrogen fuel cell modules . Next year will see First Mode also convert a Komatsu 830E to zero emissions operation .
First Mode ’ s Path to Zero offering includes three solutions : a Hybrid Electric Vehicle ( HEV ) with regenerative battery pack projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 25 %, depending on conditions ; the FCEV that combines hydrogen from the tank with oxygen from the air to produce electricity to power the truck , along with regen batteries with the same configuration as the HEV battery pack ; and the Battery Electric Vehicle , or BEV , whereby the main batteries are charged through regenerative braking and through a static multi-megawatt fast charging system .
The company ’ s plan to accelerate heavy industry ’ s adoption of low-carbon and zeroemission product solutions at scale was recently given a boost when Mitsui & Co Ltd , the international trading company and investment group with extensive interests in the mining industry , signed a strategic alliance with First Mode .
Upon announcing the deal , First Mode said its considerable expertise in powertrain systems electrification and hydrogen technologies , coupled with Mitsui ’ s global business network , would uniquely equip the alliance to explore new business opportunities that catalyse the integration of the Path to Zero product line into sectors like mining .
The news came hot on the heels of First Mode opening its new Seattle factory , which significantly boosted its capability to manufacture HEV retrofit kits for the mining sector .
The 40,000 sq . ft ( 3,716 sq . m ) factory is now one of the largest clean tech manufacturing facilities in the city , according to First Mode , which is majority owned by Anglo American . Each year , it will produce the components and systems for up to 150 First Mode HEV retrofits . In addition , it is equipped to not only double its annual HEV throughput but rapidly pivot to full battery and hydrogen fuel cell EV retrofits as customer demand also grows for the company ’ s zeroemissions products , First Mode says .
Krunal Desai , co-Founder and Vice President of Research & Development at First Mode , said the company is in active negotiations with several mining companies interested in deploying its HEV retrofit solution on their Komatsu 830E and 930E electric drive trucks .
“ For these trucks , the HEV adds regenerative braking capability and uses otherwise wasted rheostatic braking energy to reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions by up to 25 %,” he told IM . “ It also requires no additional infrastructure and feeds forward into our zero-emissions full-battery or next-gen fuel-cell EV powertrains . Importantly , the base technologies across our full product line can be applied to locomotives and power stations used across heavy industry .”
Desai said the company ’ s current focus is on the 830E and 930E platforms , but the modular technology approach the company uses allows it to quickly re-engineer and manufacture retrofit solutions for electric-drive trucks of all sizes .
“ This is notable since our innovation also holds promise for increasing a given truck ’ s operational efficiency ,” he added .
Sandvik blending autonomy , endurance
Outside of the truck movement , there is plenty of
action on surface to indicate the largest drills will also become electrified ( outside of conventional cable-electric means ) in the future .
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , for instance , recently launched its latest batteryelectric concept surface drill rig , a machine capable of drilling DTH holes up to 229 mm in diameter and blending the autonomy of battery with the continuous endurance of power cable . The rig is equipped with a battery able to carry out seven hours of tramming or one hour of drilling based on Sandvik research , plus plug into electrical infrastructure with a 37-mm diameter , 180-m-long tethered cable .
Lauri Laihanen , Vice President , R & D , Surface Drilling Division , Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , told IM at the Sandvik Capital Markets Day late last year : “ The main benefit of this battery-electric solution is the ability to tram independently for up to seven hours .
“ When you need to move the rig after drilling a certain portion of the pit ahead of blasting , you can disconnect the cable and tram the rig away from the pit independently without worrying about managing the cable logistics . Then , when you have carried out the blasting and explosives loading process and are ready for the next drilling sequence , you can tram back without recharging in between .”
Petri Virrankoski , President of the Surface Drilling Division , added : “ The application where these drills are used is somewhat different to rotary drills . To a degree , they are used in production drilling , but in a very dynamic way – carrying out pre-splits or blasthole patterns on smaller benches , for example .
“ They need to manoeuvre around more , so there are more demands placed on them from a flexibility and cable management perspective .”
Sandvik unveiled its first electric concept rig , based off a much smaller top hammer drill rig meant for urban construction , in 2022 , with the understanding of what it may take to electrify larger rigs having grown tremendously from this position .
12 International Mining | MAY 2024