Although not a North American bit of news, it still has future ramifications for the North American mining industry.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. has announced that it is performing the first-ever feasibility trial of an ultra-large full-battery rigid frame dump truck at First Quantum Minerals Ltd.’s Kansanshi copper and gold mine in the Republic of Zambia.
The testing at the mine began in June 2024 at the deep open-pit copper-gold mine, attempting to verify the basic performance of the operations required of a battery-powered dump truck.
The basics of the dump truck include traveling, turning, and stopping under actual operating loads, as well as the verification of battery charging and discharging cycles.
First Quantum is a leader in trolley system operations, with in-house technology development and deployment. At the Kansanshi mine, it can provide Hitachi Construction Machinery with the infrastructure and facilities to test a full battery dump truck, such as proven overhead dynamic charging solutions (see photo above) and a variety of haul circuits in an actual operational mining environment.
In Zambia, renewable energy accounts for 92 percent of the country’s energy, and in addition to hydroelectric power generation, power sources such as solar, wind, biogas, and other types from First Quantum are expected to be scaled up in the future.
The challenge of achieving true decarbonization is underway in Zambia, a country with abundant renewable energy requirements. It will help Hitachi leverage this technology to hopefully move forward with the commercial development of this dump truck technology in the pursuit of zero emissions goals.
Hitachi Construction Machinery’s Vice President and Executive Officer, President of Mining Business Unit, Fukunishi Eiji (surname first), stated, “Mining companies around the world are working to reduce emissions. As an original equipment manufacturer, it is our vision to provide solutions that can reduce our customers’ environmental footprint. The battery dump truck represents the future, not only for the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group but for the mining industry as a whole, and we are pleased to establish this proving ground on an active mine site and work with First Quantum on advancing this zero-emission solution.”
First Quantum’s Director of Mining, John Gregory, said: “Battery-zero emissions development with little to no impact on payload, production, and fleet size is achievable with trolley assist. First Quantum has mastered this technology by working with 2,600V systems from Hitachi Construction Machinery to provide stable platforms with multiple trucks on the overhead line at the same time. This system is an operational, practical, and economically feasible solution that will reduce emissions in mining for many years to come."
The full-battery dump truck was jointly developed with ABB Ltd., a technology leader in electrification and automation. Based on Hitachi Construction Machinery's extensive experience with dump trucks equipped with trolley dynamic charging systems, the full-battery dump truck can continuously operate practically on sites by directly charging from the overhead lines and regenerative braking system without needing to stop and charging through the adoption of the battery system developed by ABB. In addition, limiting the battery volume reduces the battery weight as a percentage of the overall vehicle weight and helps maximize the load capacity to display a high level of cost performance.
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 in June 2021 to develop the full-battery dump truck.
On March 1, 2023, Hitachi Construction Machinery signed a letter of intent with First Quantum to establish a zero-emission partnership.
Hitachi Construction Machinery completed the test machine version of a full battery dump truck, and on January 20, 2024, this test machine was shipped to First Quantum. The assembly of the test unit was recently completed in Zambia, and the technological feasibility trial has begun now that the basic operation has been confirmed.
The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will accelerate its efforts to put the full battery dump truck into practical use while engaging in co-creation with our customers to help achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from mining machinery.
Features of the dynamic charging battery dump truck being jointly developed:
- Controls the initial and lifecycle costs: Drawing the electrical power from the dynamic charging system required during operation will limit the volume of batteries on the trucks, providing a sustainable solution. In addition, the system aims to reduce the lifecycle costs and environmental impact through life cycle assessment by drawing electrical power from the overhead system while connected, simultaneously charging the battery to reduce the load and depth of discharge, maximizing battery life.
- Reduces the vehicle weight and maximizes the load capacity: Limiting the battery volume lessens the weight of the battery solution on the vehicle, maximizing the battery dump truck’s payload capacity.
- Dynamic charging solution to provide a higher rate of operation over static charging: The solution draws electrical power from the dynamic charging system during operation while simultaneously charging the battery, removing the need to stop the vehicle for recharging. Therefore, achieving a higher rate of continuous operation is necessary to maintain productivity at the site.
Hitachi Construction Machinery is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a construction machinery manufacturer that globally deploys development, manufacturing, sales, and service businesses for its hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, compaction equipment, mining machinery, and more. See the website at https://www.hitachicm.com/global/en/.