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“ Every electron counts ,” Adams said . “ We see so much opportunity with these ultra-crazy large applications . We ’ ll start here and work down .”
design , test , build , repeat
They modify their machines for different customers ; for example , a high-altitude version for use in Chile . First Mode ’ s R & D facility has a thermal test chamber that can hit extreme hot and cold temperatures so they can push their batteries to their limits .
Nearby they have a more substantial testing area , an H-2 level testing area ( short for “ Hazard-2 , a safety classification ). This nearly 1,000-square-foot area is where they can test their lithium ion and hydrogen fuel cells behind an area with a sixhour firewall .
After all the laboratory testing , they will ground-test at First Mode ’ s new testing facility , opening this year at the former TransAlta coal mine outside Centralia . The rugged real-life mine in southwest Washington is a perfect place to shake , rattle and roll the engines in ways that mimic the tough , complex environments that these mining trucks will face .
The company is quickly switching from R & D and prototyping to mass production . The focus is on scale and reliability . They see their factory as more like Boeing than Tesla . Each vehicle will be different .
“ From here it ’ s scaling it up to build it again and again , and quickly ,” Adams said .
the world is ready
First Mode already has a backlog of orders for more than 400 engines to run in mines as far away as Brazil and Australia . Their first delivery will be in 2025 , sending not only engines but also refueling and storage systems — all built in Washington state .
The only other application that uses as much hydrogen is a rocket , so they are developing the terrestrial standard for mass use of hydrogen , Adams said .
“ There ’ s a lot of energy and excitement around clean tech right now ,” said Adam
Day , with First Mode ’ s government affairs team . They saw that after unveiling their product in South Africa last May . When the inaugural First Mode engine rumbled to life inside a three-story-tall truck at the Mogalakwena open-pit platinum mine last year , South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was there to take a ride .
“ It is a smart step for Anglo American , but a giant leap for South Africa ’ s hydrogen
“ When looking at our mine sites globally , we realized that the best place to start was the diesel that we consume in our large mining trucks . They consume between two and a half to three thousand liters of diesel per day … By converting these diesel trucks to run on hydrogen we ’ ll be eliminating up to 80 % of the emissions associated with diesel on each mine site .”
— Julian Soles , head of technology development , mining and sustainability at Anglo American , which just announced a $ 200 million investment in First Mode .
economy as we move into the future ,” Ramaphosa said . “ The hydrogen economy is beckoning us as a country and as an industry .” And for First Mode , born from a company that aimed to mine in outer space , their plan to de-carbonize mining back here on earth is only the beginning . For this Washington company with global ambitions , the sky ’ s the limit .
28 association of washington business