Mining needs to be electrified. Australian mining group Fortescue and Swiss machinery manufacturer Liebherr have jointly developed heavy machinery for use in mines. Among them is a charger that can quickly fill the batteries of giant dump trucks.
The two companies presented this heavy equipment at the Minexpo trade fair in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This includes the Liebherr T 264 dump truck, which Fortescue has equipped with a battery with a capacity of 3.2 megawatt hours (MWh). So far, the vehicles have been powered by a diesel-electric engine.
In the future, the dump trucks are expected to drive autonomously. To achieve this, the two partners have developed the Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS). It also includes a fleet management system that monitors the battery charge status in order to be able to assign tasks and loading operations.
Fortescue already uses autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are no stranger to the mining group: Fortescue already uses more than 200 autonomous trucks, according to Dino Otranto, head of Fortescue Metals.
Vehicles equipped with a 3.2 MWh battery also need a powerful charger. This is what Fortescue also presented at Minexpo: It allows a maximum charging power of 6 MW. The battery of a T264 can thus be charged in half an hour, Liebherr announced.
In total, Liebherr is to deliver 475 electric vehicles to Fortescue. This corresponds to two thirds of the group’s mining fleet and is also the largest single order for Liebherr. In addition to 360 dump trucks, 55 R 9400 excavators and 60 PR-776 bulldozers are part of this, which are also to be equipped with the Forstescue battery system.
The first dump trucks, still equipped with a diesel-electric drive, were delivered by Liebherr to Fortescue a year ago. They have since been validated. The start of autonomous operation is planned for the first quarter of 2025. The diesel dumpers are to be converted to the battery system later. In the future, Liebherr will deliver the dump trucks with a fully electric driveline.
Fortescue wants to achieve zero emissions by 2030.