THE ELECTRIC MINE 2023 REVIEW
An Epiroc ST14 SG was positioned out front of the event venue
electric equipment , after taking on the first fieldfollow Caterpillar R1700 XE battery-electric loader .
At The Electric Mine 2023 , David Rea , VP and General Manager , Caterpillar Inc , showcased a video from Glencore ’ s Nickel Rim South mine , in Sudbury , with Paul Kant , Glencore ’ s Maintenance General Foreman at the mine , saying the batteryelectric loader was likely to outperform the diesel-powered Cat ® R1700G it was being benchmarked against at the operation over the trial period .
The mine has been using the machine , a 15-t payload loader , as part of ongoing plans to incorporate new technology at its Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations .
The R1700 XE in Sudbury , working alongside either one or two MEC500 chargers , has clocked more than 11,000 machine hours . During initial test operations , the customer indicated a circa- 320,000 kg reduction of CO 2 emissions and a more than 10 % improvement in speed on grade
Rea said : “ We ’ re delivering for our customers improvements in safety , cost , productivity and sustainability .”
Machine availability in these field-follow trials has been helped by an up to 150-minute run time between charges , and an average 18.5-minute charge rate with the dual chargers . According to Glencore , the machines the company has put out in the field to date have also exhibited lower energy consumption compared with the diesel equivalent – more than 10 %. And , while trials to date have all been in manual mode , Rea said the R1700 XE units in the field could be equipped for teleremote operation as well as being “ factory ready ” for Caterpillar ’ s fully autonomous loading system .
Caterpillar is also in the process of developing
its first battery-electric truck , according to Rea , who said this would be a three-pass match for the R1700 XE – therefore , a truck boasting at least a 45-t payload .
He confirmed the new truck would be charged by the MEC500s , but the company was working on both a fast charge and battery swap option for the vehicle , explaining the first deployment of this battery-electric truck would be at the Newmont Tanami operation in the Northern Territory of Australia .