SURFACE MINING TRUCKS.

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From autonomy to zero

emissions, Paul Moore
summarises some of the big
developments in the mining
truck market, as open pit
haulage enters the most
significant transition phase in
its history

High times for haulage

Liebherr T 284 truck under trolley at FQML Cobre
f ever there was a year in which there are far common architectures and will be optimised for

I
Panama, one of a fleet of 30 in the process of
too many developments in the mining truck different low-carbon fuel types. These new fuel- being enlarged to 38
market to cover in one article – this is it! The agnostic engine platforms will feature a series of
mining truck market is moving into a critical engine versions that are derived from a common and mtu Hybrid Controller continuously
transition phase as the major OEMs gear up to base engine, which means they have a high communicate dynamic power demand.
provide the industry with credible zero or much degree of parts commonality. While marine and Wabtec’s optimised integrated AC drives in
reduced emissions solutions, whether that’s all rail will come first for the larger engines, mining mining are behind everything from the top of the
battery trucks, battery with trolley, hydrogen and will be next. class Komatsu 980E which is seeing a great
battery FCEV or other; all against a backdrop of MTU’s hybrid drive system for mining trucks is market response globally especially in Latin
continued rollout of autonomy worldwide from based on existing and proven mtu technologies. America, to the leading Chinese OEM NHL and its
the truck OEMs but also new nimble players. In Rolls-Royce will equip mining trucks with battery largest ever export fleet which covers 28
addition to this, the level of activity in more packs (so-called mtu EnergyPacks), allowing for NTE360A trucks going to Australia’s Yancoal.
interim measures, such as dual fuel diesel and significant CO2 emissions reductions, less noise Wabtec’s capabilities when it comes to electric
LNG trucks, as well as other options like 100% and cost savings for the customer at the same mine haulage also extend to its own mining truck
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is increasing. time. For the 220 t truck, there would be 20 x pantograph which was displayed at MINExpo
On the hydrogen side, hydrogen-based derivate EnergyPacks and 10 x DC/DC converters. There is 2021 – the Mining PANTO MTP100. Its
fuels (ammonia, methanol or more sophisticated a downsized engine – now using an mtu 16V pantographs inherit all the depth of experience
E-fuels) are also options. 2000 S96, so 3,600 kg vs 9,500 kg and 36 l vs 60 from acquired company Faiveley, which
On FCEV, Anglo American is close to its big l; 1,163 kW vs 1,865 kW (1560 hp vs. 2500 hp) introduced the single-arm pantograph in 1955
nuGen™ reveal on May 6– and stated on April 14, and Tier 4i vs Tier 2 with fuel efficiency optimised and has been supplying mine operators with
2022: “We are also moving towards a solution for operation strategy. Plus obviously there is a pantographs for over 40 years. Wabtec is
the largest portion of our Scope 1 emissions, reduced tank size. The 20 x EnergyPacks replace involved in trolley projects including Boliden
being the diesel used in our haul truck fleet, and the original diesel tank so the downsized diesel Kevitsa, where 13 Komatsu 227 t 830E-5 trucks
we expect to see our proof of concept hydrogen tank can be moved to the opposite side (this is are being converted to partially running on
fuel cell truck in action in the coming weeks. Step one of many options, to be agreed with electricity via trolley assist on a 1.3 km line.
by step, we are changing the very nature of customers). The batteries are recharged by Siemens’ Zero-Emission solution is already
mining and how our stakeholders experience our recuperating braking energy when going fully patented (Patent US 10,286,787 B2, filed
business – while supporting what must be a just downhill. This stored energy is used to provide September 27, 2013, granted May 14, 2019). This
energy transition.” The converted 930E, which is power to the mining truck when going uphill solution combines on-board energy storage with
to start up at Mogalakwena platinum mine, is set loaded, which leads to fuel savings and allows an off-board power supply through its proven
to represent just the start of rolling out these for the downsizing of the truck’s engine. The trolley assist offering. It offers multiple options
trucks across Anglo’s major operations (see p.4). solution is based on proven components, and it giving mining customers flexibility to reduce
The big engine and electric drive players are is planned as a retrofit offering for existing trucks and/or eliminate carbon emissions – 1) trolley
doing their bit – in engines, Cummins as an while also being available on newbuilt trucks and assist with diesel/electric, 2) hybrid on-board
example is expanding its industry-leading will be realised in partnership with customers. energy storage with diesel/electric, 3) fuel cell
powertrain platforms, leveraging a range of lower The mtu Hybrid System integrates as a with on-board energy storage, and 4) trolley
carbon fuel types. As the industry’s first unified, subsystem into the truck architecture, plus assist with on-board energy storage. The latter
fuel-agnostic engines, these platforms will use FLANDERS Inc power electronics and controls can offers the highest productivity (highest speed on
engine blocks and core components that share be utilised for retrofits. The powertrain controller grade) as well as the highest overall energy

50 International Mining | MAY 2022

 Creating value together
Looking for scalable, sustainable solutions to
advance your operation? No matter where you are scan to learn more

on your journey toward a more environmentally

responsible future, we are here to support you in
achieving your vision. https://bit.ly/3MnCl8b

© 2022 Komatsu Ltd. or one of its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

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successfully commissioned Komatsu’s zero emissions way forward with

its trolley assist project, customers is its collaborative Greenhouse Gas
which consists of an Alliance in which the founding members are Rio
approximately one kilometre Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden. Its initial target
trolley-assist haul ramp and is advancing Komatsu’s power-agnostic truck
seven pantograph-equipped concept. Again using Rio Tinto as an example, it
Komatsu 830E-5 electric haul has publicly said it will conduct pre-production
trucks. This project is in trials of the new equipment at a site and has the
partnership with SMS option to purchase some of the first trucks from
Equipment, Komatsu, ABB, Komatsu once they are commercially viable.
Clean BC, and BC Hydro, and In addition, Canada-headquartered Kinross
is aimed at cutting carbon Gold Corporation recently announced details of
emissions at the Copper its Climate Change Strategy and greenhouse gas
Mountain Mine by at least (GHG) reduction action plan, which includes the
30%, paving a solid company’s commitment to working towards the
foundation to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. To tackle
company’s goal of net zero Scope 1 emissions, it includes entering into an
carbon emissions by 2035. agreement with Komatsu to take an active role in
the development of a Zero Emission Haulage
Zero emissions deals Solution, which will target the development of
On zero emissions the big zero-emission haul trucks. Kinross is a major
news has been the global gold mining company (production of 2.07
collaboration partnerships Moz in 2021 expected to rise to 2.65 Moz in
signed between OEMs and 2022) with mines and projects in the United
the big miners – for States (Fort Knox, Alaska; Bald Mountain &
The fuel cell/ battery module, designed Caterpillar this includes Newmont, BHP, Rio Tinto Round Mountain, Nevada), Brazil (Paracatu),
together with First Mode, being installed
and Teck. As an example, Rio Tinto will work with Mauritania (Tasiast), Chile (La Coipa) and Ghana
recently in one of Anglo American's 930E trucks
at Mogalakwena platinum mine, South Africa, Caterpillar to advance the development of the (Chirano).
which is being converted to run as a Fuel Cell manufacturer’s future 220 t 793 zero-emissions It is worth pointing out that most of these
Electric Vehicle (FCEV)
autonomous haul truck including the validation deals will see zero emissions implemented along
of Caterpillar’s emerging zero-emissions with autonomy on the same fleets, simply as
efficiency from production to consumption technology. Rio Tinto and Caterpillar will they will go together. As Denise Johnson,
(capture of regen and efficient delivery of trolley progress a series of development milestones to Caterpillar Group President, Resource Industries
power to batteries and direct to wheels). include a 793 prototype pilot program, testing told IM at MINExpo 2021: “Think about a
Siemens trolley systems are used as an example and pre-production trials. It is anticipated that traditional truck with a driver – they will look at
at FQML Kansanshi working with its Hitachi the world’s first operational deployment of how much diesel fuel they have and generally, a
EH4500 fleet. approximately 35 new Caterpillar 793 zero- tank is enough for three shifts or 24 hours. As
ABB is making a big market contribution with emissions autonomous haul trucks will be at you move to electric – you need to charge those
its ABB Ability™ eMine portfolio which includes Gudai-Darri once development is complete. trucks much more frequently. You are in a
its ABB Ability eMine Trolley System and 600 kW Gudai-Darri is Rio Tinto’s most technically position where, depending on where you are on
FastCharge. Built up-on open standards and advanced iron ore mine, in the Pilbara, Western the minesite, you may not get back to a charging
designed based on OPPCharge – an initiative Australia. station and the truck will get stuck. The layer of
aiming at establishing a common interface for
opportunity charging of electrical vehicles – the
charger leverages a connection device from
Stäubli. ABB Ability™ eMine FastCharge remains
the fastest and only fully automated charging
system for mining haul trucks offering up to 600
kW of power, resulting in multiple productivity
and cost benefits. ABB argues that there remains
a bottleneck to the adoption of high-power
charging infrastructure, however. “Battery
technology – incorporating the battery unit, the
connector from the charger to the truck, and the
pin socket on the vehicle- is not sufficiently
advanced to receive higher currents specified by
the battery property known as the C-rate. For
example, a 150kWh battery needs a minimum C-
rate of four to be able to receive a charge at 600
Komatsu's power agnostic development truck being put through its paces at the company's Arizona
kW.” Proving Grounds - this one is based on an 830E platform and is all electric with battery power and
Copper Mountain Mining Corporation has trolley capability

52 International Mining | MAY 2022

 Committed
to the future
www.liebherr.com

Mining

Liebherr is a leader in proven low emission solutions, utilising grid

electrification. By 2030, fossil fuel free solutions will be established.
Liebherr strives for long-term sustainable solutions, providing different modular options centred on environmental
sustainability, safety, cost, flexibility, and maintainability including:

– 30 years experience in electric drive mining excavators with all machine models available ranging from 150 t to 800 t class
– Trolley Assist option available on all Liebherr mining trucks
– Liebherr combustion engine compliant with Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel
– xLiebherr AC drive system on all truck models providing a modular platform for future powertrain technologies

Liebherr’s roadmap includes batteries, combustion engines using green fuels, and hybrids.

Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS • 49 rue Frédéric Hartmann • 68025 Colmar Cedex • France • Phone: +33 369 49 20 00
[email protected] • www.liebherr.com

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technology to know where you are in your

Recently surpassing the 4 billion tonne mark
battery level as well as where you are in the haul with no lost-time injuries, roughly 1.2 billion
cycle is critical. Technology is the key to optimise tonnes of material were autonomously hauled in
battery performance, battery life, and production. 2021 alone using Caterpillar Command for
hauling across 18 minesites
And we have conversations every day with
mining customers on these sorts of issues.
Autonomy is going to be a part of the future for
almost all major mines as well as many of the
smaller ones, so it will go hand in hand with
electrification.”

Autonomy’s head to head battles

Autonomous haulage itself is still largely a two
horse race – and a very, very close one.
Caterpillar in March 2022 announced that over
500 trucks using its Command for hauling
technology had autonomously and safely hauled
more than 4 billion tonnes (4.4 billion tons) of
material since 2013 and launch customer
Fortescue at its Solomon Hub iron ore mine. autonomy solution based on ISO 23725, the first together these areas of expertise and will push
Roughly 1.2 billion tonnes (1.3 billion tons) of public interface between an AHS truck fleet and the electric mine forward by leaps and bounds.
that total were autonomously hauled in 2021 the FMS system, which is essentially allowing the Our solution will provide 8 MW of power in three
alone. That is across 18 different sites. Komatsu mining industry for the first time to ‘decouple’ minutes of charging, about 14 times higher than
is slightly ahead – though it rolled out its fleet management and autonomy, while Hitachi any other solution available today.” Hitachi is
FrontRunner AHS sooner in 2008 with Codelco – also has its own “all-Hitachi” AHS such as that talking to customers about mining fleet
however, its trucks have passed 4.7 billion deployed at Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek in decarbonisation on two fronts – what can the
tonnes of material movement leveraging Australia. Hitachi is also working on its battery company do for mines to mitigate emissions
Komatsu’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage trolley truck today, while Hitachi Energy is today and what can it do to achieve future 2025-
System on more than 510 trucks. With 15 years of working on a “truly interoperable” 8 MW electric 2030 and final 2050 targets. Brian Wells, Division
commercial operation and zero system-related charging solution for large haul trucks, with Sales Manager, Hitachi Construction & Mining
injuries reported, its system also operates plans to conduct field trials by 2023, according to Division: “Already today from Hitachi you can
currently at 18 active sites across three Matt Zafuto, VP, Industry Solutions, Hitachi make choices to significantly reduce your carbon
continents, with the 19th site, Anglo American’s Energy. “This electric haul-truck solution brings footprint – part of that is trolley truck technology
Los Bronces copper mine, starting operation in
early May 2022. Loadpro trials continue in Indonesia
In Chile, copper mining major Codelco as The innovative 60 t Loadpro X60 was developed in direct response from the industry to deliver a
stated has the distinction of the longest running more efficient haulage truck to increase productivity and reduce haulage cost per tonne.
autonomous mining truck fleet, consisting of The company says the X60 delivers safety, performance and efficiency with high production but
930E-AT haulers at Gabriela Mistral (Gaby) that low operating costs. It is partiularly aimed at short and long pit to port hauls, long downhill loaded
have been operating since 2008. But now the hauls with quicker cycle times and hauls requiring lower ground pressure on slippery, steeper
company is taking its AHS program into a new gradients. Loadpro shipped nine of its X60 trucks to Kalimantan in Indonesia in recent years which
phase – four new Caterpillar AHS 797F trucks are are operating across two sites with another two trucks on their way. Loadpro Founder, Ron Schliebs:
being deployed at Division Ministro Hales (DMH), "We had some early reliability issues expected with prototypes and support issues where we could
working with Cat dealer Finning, while another not support our trucks onsite due to covid. We have now sorted out all reliability issues and the
four AHS 930E trucks, this time from Komatsu, trucks have shown high productivity and efficiency. It is very encouraging considering the trucks are
will be deployed at the Radomiro Tomic working alongside off highway trucks in shorter hauls where we did not think the trucks would be
operation. Both divisions were fine-tuning so competitive. The trucks are now running over longer pit to port hauls in the application they were
engineering for the start of tests in May 2022. designed for, where we expect to see higher levels off efficiency over other trucks. Given that we are
Both mines are currently mainly using still testing prototype trucks a decision has been made to have each of the trucks reach 8,000
conventionally operated 320 ton and 400 ton operating hours which is estimated will
class trucks including Cat 797, Liebherr T282 and take another six months." In a
Komatsu 930E models. “We will have two of the comparison with an equivalent payload
largest providers running, in parallel, rigid truck from a leading OEM, Schleibs
autonomous truck pilots that will operate on an says based on load tonnage data over
LTE network in these divisions, which brings four dayshifts in the same haul circuit
important benefits in quality and coverage,” said with both units loaded to maximum that
José Ramón Abatte, Codelco Manager of the Loadpro productivity was 26%
Technology and Automation Projects. higher. Plus for coal rehandling activities
Hitachi and Liebherr are of course also well for pit to ROM for three months its fuel burn Loadpro's versatile X60 has nine units in Indonesia
(plus two on the way) which have been running very
into the autonomy and zero emissions game. was 48% lower in litres/hour. successfully
Hitachi and Wenco are offering an open

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Hitachi is developing a
battery trolley mining truck
with the aim of starting
demonstration tests at a
customer mine in December
2023 and launching it by
2024

on the mining truck side, then on the mining excavator side we have a
complete electrically powered line-up. Looking in the medium term then you
have options like trolley trucks with onboard batteries.” On the battery
trolley truck and tie in with automation, Hitachi in Japan recently told IM:
“In the future, we are looking at linking zero emissions haul trucks and AHS, autonomy everywhere
but specific studies are still to be conducted. On trolley, R&D on automation
and electrification is underway, but has not been publicly announced in ƒ NextGen autonomy platform
detail. On the new trucks, we are developing a battery trolley mining truck
with the aim of starting demonstration tests at a customer's mine in ƒ OEM-agnostic
December 2023 and launching it by 2024. Of the three models in the AC-3 ƒ interoperable
series, development will be based on the model that the partner customer
selects. Currently, there are several mining companies in South America,
ƒ advanced radar perception
Europe, Oceania, and Africa that are interested in the development of this for rough, indoor-outdoor
technology. The specific regions and customers are yet to be determined,
environments
therefore a PoC site has not yet been ascertained at this time.”
Liebherr’s says its autonomous haulage solution delivers the next
generation of on-board intelligence, with reduced dependency on site
infrastructure and centralised supervisory systems. “Together with vehicle-
to-vehicle technologies, Liebherr’s smart autonomous solutions provide on-
board obstacle avoidance and load area path planning capabilities for
optimisation of traffic flow. Liebherr’s solutions offer a high level of safety
integrity with the introduction of an eight-layer safety concept, in
combination with the latest on-board perception technologies for long every environment
range, high resolution and 360° coverage, which is unique to the Liebherr

every location
offering.” Liebherr has developed and, it says, proven the world’s first open
software interface between its Autonomy Kit and independent suppliers of
Traffic Management Systems (TMS). The protocol will not only enable
customers to choose their preferred Traffic Management solution, but will
also enable autonomous machines, including autonomous light vehicles, to
every complexity
coexist within a common autonomous ecosystem, according to the
company. Liebherr is working with ASI Mining by having an open interface
that enables its autonomous trucks to integrate to ASI’s Mobius autonomy
every application
platform. Liebherr and Hexagon Mining have also integrated their
complementary technology products using an open software interface.
Hexagon technology, including its autonomous mission management
system, will be used in the mine automation options offered by Liebherr to
customers. Hexagon said of this agreement: “The autonomous mission
management system will orchestrate autonomous fleet and unmanned mine
traffic movements throughout the mine for optimised autonomous haulage.
It is fully integrated with our fleet management and enterprise analytics and
reporting portfolio products.”
On zero emissions Liebherr is also going forward in two steps, immediate
and medium-term solutions and initiatives. Firstly, it will offer low carbon
www.xtonomy.ai
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emission solutions such as electric drive for all Two big developments in new AHS players - experience in building some of the earliest
trucks and excavator types, trolley assist and SafeAI technology running on contractor autonomous mining and construction equipment,
MACA's Hitachi EH3500 truck in Australia (left)
cable reeler beginning in 2022. Additionally, the and Auto-mate technology applied to a Cat 775 holds several patents on that technology and has
first renewable fuel option for the internal truck in Israel (right) deep expertise in developing critical safety
combustion engine drive train for machines with protocols and technology for autonomous
Liebherr combustions engines is available. And passenger cars, as well as development in
secondly, it will offer proven fossil fuel free ASI Mining aside, other notable players in this advanced AI technology. Position Partners is the
mining equipment by 2030 at the latest. The new phase of autonomy in mining include SafeAI, distributor of SafeAI and provides positioning
equipment for digging, hauling and dozing will Auto-mate, Pronto AI, VIST Group and xtonomy, and machine control solutions for mining,
be based on different drive train technologies though these are by no means the only construction and earthmoving activities.”
such as a battery power module, a H2 fuel cell examples. You also have contractors working on The MoU is binding with key terms including
power module and internal combustion engines solutions themselves – notably Brazil’s U&M, that the parties will work collaboratively on the
with several further renewable fuel solutions which had successfully automated Caterpillar 777 deployment of autonomy and development of
depending on the equipment type. trucks in several client trials using its own future applications; the MoU providing MACA the
Elsewhere, the “OEM and FMS agnostic” AHS technology and has subsequently moved into a first 100 SafeAI Autonomy Solutions in Australia;
market coming up behind the big two is evolving commercial phase with clients, including with each party retaining the rights to their respective
very rapidly, taking advantage of a more open larger autonomous BEV truck models, but details IP; and Position Partners providing operational
and flexible approach, appealing to larger mines are now covered by NDAs. and site support to MACA.
but also mid-Tier miners at the same time. One of “The mining industry has had autonomous
the largest and most high profile is the Roy Hill Autonomy filtering down through the equipment for more than twenty years – but
iron ore mine AHS project, under a contract with industry we’ve gone as far as we can go with the first
Epiroc, with the project led by ASI Mining using SafeAI, a leader in autonomous heavy iteration of this technology,” said Bibhrajit
its technology on both Hitachi EH5000 and equipment, and MACA, one of the world’s leading Halder, Founder and CEO of SafeAI. “SafeAI and
Caterpillar 793F trucks and using Wenco’s FMS. It diversified contracting groups, recently MACA are going all in on the next generation of
has had four phases – starting with a design announced a partnership in the form of an MoU autonomy – a generation that is AI-powered,
phase, then initial deployment and testing phase to retrofit a mixed fleet of 100 mining trucks versatile and scalable to bring meaningful,
in a sandbox setting, then a performance phase, across multiple locations. Together with SafeAI’s widespread change to the mining industry.”
operating a small fleet in a production Australian partner, Position Partners, the MACA, a rapidly-growing contract miner that
environment to meet KPI targets. The last phase companies will create one of the largest recently reported a $13 billion pipeline of
is expansion which involves rollout of AHS across autonomous heavy equipment fleets in Australia, opportunities, needed a solution capable of
the entire fleet, which is now happening and will “powering safer, more productive and more cost- scaling with its business. SafeAI’s interoperable
signal the point at which the full AHS effective mine sites.” retrofit technology unlocks newfound scalability
functionality and performance has been achieved SafeAI has built a next generation autonomous and versatility by enabling the company to
to the satisfaction of the client, and they will sign platform that brings the latest in artificial optimise its existing fleet, rather than forcing it to
off on expansion. Drew Larsen, ASI Mining intelligence (AI) to heavy industry. The company’s complete a highly time-consuming and costly
Business Development Director at ASI Mining platform is interoperable and vehicle-agnostic, transition to an entirely new fleet of autonomous
recently told IM: “For ASI Mining, we will have a enabling mining and construction companies to vehicles.
complete, fully commercialised version of our retrofit any vehicle, from any manufacturer, with “This technology is a game changer for our
AHS, at scale, that can not only meet the needs autonomous technology. With advanced business, our customers and our industry,” said
of big complex mines, but also almost any open multimodal sensors and significant onboard Shane Clark, MACA’s General Manager of
pit operation out there. It’s important to processing power, SafeAI-enabled equipment can Estimating and Technical Services. “SafeAI’s
emphasise that it’s not just about achieving the independently make efficient, accurate decisions versatile, scalable solution is unmatched in our
functionality and safety requirements, but also to keep operations running smoothly and safely, industry right now, and has profound
the performance around critical KPIs that 24/7. implications for site safety, efficiency and cost-
indicates our system can deliver on the value In its statement to the ASX, MACA said: “The effectiveness. We expect to see quick takeup
proposition of AHS.” SafeAI team brings decades of combined from our customers as they begin to see the

56 International Mining | MAY 2022

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SURFACE MINING TRUCKS

Auto-mate in action
IM spoke to Auto-mate’s Daniel Poller, CEO, and Damien Williams,
Solutions and Implementation Manager to get more info on the Israel
project and plans for the technology once it hits Australia

Q Other OEM agnostic companies are also retrofitting automation to

mining equipment; can you give a sense of the unique aspects of the
Auto-mate system in terms of functionality and components?
A Components we are keeping as common as possible and as more of us
take on the challenge we welcome those components decreasing in cost
as volumes increase. Functionally, we have the benefit of drawing on the
experience of over 100 units deployed in an adjacent industry with Auto-mate's autonomous haulage tech is being applied this year on Bis
Industries' multi-axle 160 t Rexx mining truck
commonality between applications such as off-road navigation, obstacle
avoidance and ground engagement with material movement. In addition,
our design methodology has come from one of scarcity: limited comms, extend the trial and look at starting a deployment with them next year.
limited consistency of operational area, limited restrictions on area entry. This is the best endorsement in our opinion as they’ve seen the entire
These all led to greater on-board decision making and analytics being process warts and all and can see the value of the evolving offering.
developed so the asset could operate at Level 4 and above automation.
Q How does your automation approach with AI enable a more flexible
Q Why was the 775 chosen as the initial truck for retrofit? Is this the solution not tied to constant network infrastucture access?
same model that would have been converted in WA if the project had not A We deploy our decision-making algorithms and AI onto the assets
been delayed by the pandemic? themselves which means that once a mission is loaded along with any
A It was. The smaller size truck classes have been neglected from an operational parameters and restrictions, that asset is fully capable of
automation standpoint as they were deemed non-viable commercially. Our making real-time, on board decisions to maximise safety and productivity.
lower price point automation turns this idea on its head and enables To meet Code of Practice requirements we have had to rein in the time our
operations of all sizes to get healthy safety, operational and financial system will continue outside of comms but are excited to continue to push
returns with automation. A 777 was also considered but the 775 platform that boundary as we prove that enabling the machine is the safest
was more readily available in Israel. approach. In those periods of communications outages the machine will
continue on the mission with all sensors, parameters and controls
Q Do you have any agreements in place with mine operators or operating normally. If an event or incident occurs at a site level that
contractors to trial the system in Australia and when do you expect the requires immediate site wide operations to cease then the automated
first conversion to be complete in Australia? machine will not receive that message until communications are restored.
A We do. Unfortunately, they are all confidential at this stage however we Given our systems will initially be deployed with a configurable out of
can confirm we have two engagements underway with another two comms period of between 0.5 and 2 seconds, we do not see this being a
looking very likely to kick off in 2022. safety issue.

Q Are there plans to fit the system to the Bis Rexx mining truck? Q Can you expand on how your trucks can take corrective action
A There are. We’ve had a number of genuine enquiries on this and are themselves to avoid obstacles or poor road conditions such as altering
considering delaying the Australian 775 for two to three months to fast their route without input? Have you proven this?
track the automation of the Rexx for the middle of this year. A This is core to our automation technology. The self-pathing and
perception algorithms have been proven in over 100 assets in the defence
Q Can you give some sense of how successful the Israel trial has been industry and have now been proven in our trials on a mining asset. This
and is the customer now looking to install the system on multiple units? ranges from the detection and avoidance of obstacles, the analysis and
A It has gone incredibly well. We’ve learnt a lot and been able to get some selection of optimum pathways on the road and identifying changing road
great filming complete on the back of meeting our mining operational conditions that go beyond the machine’s performance capabilities, such
requirements. The quarry owner has now engaged with us to see if we can as road wash outs.

tremendous impact of this technology.” and Managing Director of MACA. six month proof of concept trial at the Karlawinda
Through this partnership, SafeAI and Position This partnership follows a successful proof of operations, the rollout will now focus on the
Partners will work with MACA to retrofit its large, concept between the three companies at the deployment of autonomy to a multiple truck
mixed fleet of haul trucks with autonomous Karlawinda gold mine owned by Capricorn Metals environment, in addition to retrofitting various
hardware and software. MACA will be the first and comes on the heels of a year of significant truck types at numerous site locations. MACA
contract miner to deploy AI-powered autonomy growth for SafeAI. In 2021, SafeAI expanded into made a modest investment in SafeAI in 2021
for its customers, establishing safer, more four new countries, doubled its headcount, which has been validated by the successful proof
productive and more cost-effective operations. released an industry-first operating system and of concept trial.”
“With SafeAI’s scalable, AI-powered technology, raised a Series A round of funding in June 2021. MACA says it is also looking at a whole of life
we can quickly deploy autonomous heavy MACA added: “The MoU marks a significant battery solution for mining vehicles. This will
equipment across our sites – creating safer, more milestone in the development and deployment of include maximising the usage of batteries by
productive operations and setting a new contractor autonomy and on MACA’s pursuit of channelling them during their operational life
standard for our industry,” said Mike Sutton, CEO this exciting technology. Following a successful from high demand utilisation such as in large

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xtonomy AHS supervision screen

mining trucks down to the less demanding

requirements of other machinery types such as
loaders, ADTs and finally small skid steers and
other lower energy demand units. MACA also
believes its long term diversified industry
experience means it has the potential to be the
engine of this change.
Shane Clark says: “A whole of life battery
solutions means that we get the full economic
life out of a battery, beyond its first use in the
haul truck. So, after it gets to a state of charge
that is no longer applicable to the mining
operation, it means we can move those batteries,
because they are modular in nature, into other
applications.” He adds: “Its important to be able
to have the ability to change battery chemistries
between sites. The future will see a trade off
between energy intensity and charging rate, so
some minesites will lean towards a lower
charging rate and a more static rate of charge
Wabtec’s optimized d integrated
across the fleet, while others will lean towards a
high capacity charge with the shortest charging
electric drive syste
em.
time but also a shorter run time of the
equipment.”
The power is insidee.
Regardless of the client infrastructure, MACA
says it is developing an interoperable solution
that will allow for significant emissions reduction
helping them fulfil their net zero timeframes.
Clark adds: “In partnership with AVL Engineering,
Mitsui and Forsee Power, we are able to create a
modular style of battery, which means that we
will be able to change the battery chemistry
depending on the infrastructure that is available
at our client sites.”
MACA adds that this agnostic approach to
battery chemistry as well as being able to utilise
a flexible energy mix, potentially including
hydrogen/ammonia-based, solar, natural gas and
wind power but also other clean power sources,
will be crucial to succeeding in the “contractor
battery electric vehicle space.” This along with
harnesssing the technological progress of
autonomy and AI-powered dispatch that will be GE T Trransportation, now a Wabtec Wabtec offers the most complete line of
company, introduced the first AC electric drive systems in the industry
“essential to unlocking the battery electric
commercially viable electric drive ranging from 100 - 400 ton capacity.
vehicle value.”
system for large mining haul trucks With service-proven transmission and
Adam Struthers, GM Plant at MACA adds: “As
in the early 1960’s. Since then, the electric components, the company
part of the transition, we will create multiple
company has led the industry in the is the recognized industry leader in
pathways for our maintenance teams” while introduction of new technology to electric drive systems.
MACA Mining Engineer Ewen Koh adds: “This is improve the truck’s cost per ton.
an industry first for a contract miner and I’m These innova attions ha
av
ve included the
excited to be part of this sustainable solution.” first solid-sta ystem, the
atte control ssy
For this BEV project, MACA is collaborating first trolley assist technology for large
with world leaders – namely energy and haul trucks, the first AC electric drive
resources focused Japanese trading major Mitsui system and the first demonstra attion of
& Co Ltd, e-mobility group AVL and innovative hybrid energy storage.
battery technologies and battery management
systems company Forsee Power on its BEV
WabtecCorp.com
project. MACA CEO Mike Sutton commented: “It’s
important to MACA Ltd to be able to bring

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Komatsu as FrontRunner
IM spoke to Komatsu Mining on its progress on everything from
automation to trolley & zero emissions

Q Are you working toward developing FrontRunner automation capability

for battery trucks and battery trolley trucks?
A Yes, Komatsu Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) capabilities will be
incorporated as one of the features that will be available on the Komatsu
power agnostic truck platform as an option.

Q Do you already offer automation capability for "standard" trolley

assist trucks and is this in development? Komatsu 830E running under trolley at Copper Mountain Mining
A The Komatsu Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) does not currently
have ProVision Machine Guidance System for trolley operation, but A Komatsu has several concurrent development programs focused on
current plans call for the release of an integrated solution that optimises greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and zero-emission platforms for surface
trolley line management and material flow autonomously. Installation of mining. The power agnostic truck design effort runs parallel with
trolley infrastructure at the Komatsu Arizona Proving Grounds supports development of unique power modules for the truck. The three basic types
development and testing of this solution, as well as other greenhouse gas of Komatsu power modules are power supply, power storage and hybrid
reduction technology. supply. A power supply module generates power from sources like a
diesel engine and may be combined with overhead trolley power for
Q Will the 830E remain the base platform for the initial power agnostic additional savings. A power storage module collects power from off-board
trucks or are you also looking at the 930E and other models? sources, like trolley or a static charging station, and stores it in batteries
A In the coming years, Komatsu plans to develop a series of power for use while the truck is untethered from a power source. Hybrid supply
agnostic trucks. The order or priority of these platforms is in part modules generate and store power using a combination of technologies,
determined by the market and the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance like hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) coupled with lithium batteries. Engagement
members. Through the alliance framework, Komatsu’s GHG partners with Komatsu GHG Alliance members shows clear benefit from all three
collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of power modules depending on a mine’s transition strategy and deployment
the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and timing.
infrastructure. The Komatsu power agnostic platform will be released on
several models and size classes traditionally supplied with electric drives. Q Is the trolley line at the APG complete and have you run the battery
Members of the Komatsu GHG Alliance provide guidance on demand and version of the power agnostic truck on the trolley line yet?
timing through engagement on zero-emission strategy planning, which A Komatsu looks forward to an aggressive trolley development and testing
helps drive priorities. Early planning and collaboration are key to schedule starting in the second half of this year for both standard and
developing a successful long-term transition to the zero-emission autonomous trucks.
economy.
Q Do you already offer automation capability for "standard" trolley
Q With regard to the 980E, is it fair to say that this model is now leading assist trucks and is this in development?
the electric drive ultraclass market by some margin with new fleets A The Dispatch Fleet Management System (FMS) from Modular Mining
commissioned at Las Bambas, Toromocho, Antapaccay etc? What do already provides routing and assignment management for trolley
customers like about the truck? operations with available modules today. Development of the trolley
A The Komatsu 930E continues to be the market leader in the ultra-class assist module for Komatsu’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System
truck market. The Komatsu 980E has quickly become the preferred haul (AHS) is underway. The system will automate truck guidance and
truck in the 400 st size class since it was introduced in 2016. Customers production management for late-model AHS trucks and the upcoming
like the comfort, reliability, and performance of the Komatsu 980E. power agnostic trucks. These systems will optimise battery management
and production assignments for piloted and autonomous trucks.
Q What level of automation has been achieved to date with the 980E
plus are there any plans to offer a 980E trolley package? Q Where do you see the synergies between autonomy and battery mining
A The 980E has been operated autonomously at a mine site for the last trucks?
couple of years. Komatsu is currently developing trolley assist packages A The Komatsu FrontRunner AHS supervises material movement by
for several of its electric drive haul trucks, including the Komatsu 980E-5. converting a vast array of dynamic optimisations from mining operations
into a series of guidance instructions for the trucks. In this way, truck
Q Can you comment on current status and progress of Komatsu's power activities are repeatable, manageable and quality improves. Transitioning
agnostic truck program? Does the battery version remain the priority battery management and trolley usage to FrontRunner and Dispatch
given the focus on zero emissions and your work with GHG Alliance moves more truck operational decisions to this supervision and
partners? optimisation environment and increases opportunities for improvement.

industry leaders into our fleet electrification Power, we’ve been able to create a modular stated: “The International Council for Mining &
project and create a solution that is sufficient for battery solution, which we can tailor to our Metals are responsible for one third of the
the demands of our operating environment. In client’s existing site infrastructure.” world’s resources, used in decarbonisation and
partnership with AVL, Mitsui & Co Ltd and Forsee David Greig, MACA Chief Development Officer sustainable development. They’ve aligned

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themselves to net zero targets in 2021. In doing the future of material haulage in mining and requirements. This is especially due to extensive
so they hope to encourage their suppliers to construction is autonomous electric. While Tier 1 comms network and high-precision GNSS
decarbonise their value chain.” Grieg adds: “The mining companies paved the way towards requirements, autonomous operating zone
battery electric vehicle project at MACA is our autonomous haulage for large trucks years ago, preparation, mapping, etc. Our autonomy
response to the energy transition challenge. Its most of the mining, quarrying and construction platform is designed to safely operate even with
important that our solution is not only suitable to operations are far away from switching to network or GNSS interruptions. Due to its high
the ICMM members but also our customers, autonomy. This is mainly due to system cost and degree of autonomy the trucks do not frequently
regardless of the project size, life or commodity.” flexibility that would eventually make it feasible require connection. Furthermore, it encompasses
Greig concludes: “MACA’s strategic vision of to operate smaller trucks on smaller and smart radar-based localisation for GNSS-
creating sustainable futures has enabled us to especially more dynamic sites. So far, the mine challenged environments. Finally, our advanced
build a high quality teams to service the plan is mainly set for autonomous operation, radar-perception enables safe operation in even
international mining and construction markets. which is obviously not sustainable for most the toughest conditions like snowstorms in the
These markets exist to deliver the products and operations. This ultimately means that alpine mountains. This is how we envision
services that mankind will depend on to survive autonomous haulage systems (AHS) must evolve autonomy everywhere.”
well into the future. A firm belief is by advancing into a next generation with highest degree of
the efficiency of mineral extraction and autonomy. For this reason, we have developed Auto-mate’s AHS coming to Australia
construction, we will become more sustainable and successfully piloted our autonomy platform Australia-headquartered Auto-mate, which has
into the future. The successful completion of our that is able to cope with the ever-changing successfully completed trials of its autonomous
proof of concept, applying on-road haulage environments as part of a de-centralised solution on a 65 t payload (70 ton) Caterpillar
technology into a productive mining application system.” 775 in Israel at a major quarrying operation (see
is a really exciting development for our business. Usability is key for acceptance of autonomy p.58). The trials, initially planned for Australia,
This is the start of a new chapter, and MACA especially in small to medium sized mining and were rescheduled after widespread travel
remains focused on putting our knowledge, and industrial applications. For this purpose, xtonomy restrictions were put in place at the start of the
the knowedge of our suppliers, into action.” has designed a simple user interface which COVID-19 outbreak over two years ago. Auto-
allows the shovel operator to orchestrate the mate is a JV between innovative haulage,
From autonomy to xtonomy entire autonomous machine fleet at his materials handling and automation group Bis
New company xtonomy transforms large mobile fingertips. “Other impediments to autonomy are Industries, and IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries).
machines to work autonomously in the roughest commissioning time and infrastructure IAI’s proven automation technology for
mining and industrial environments – it provides
autonomy everywhere. MD Christian Riedel told Pioneer Solutions LLC – a mining truck consulting specialist
IM: “Our Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) for Major OEMs and others involved in mining truck innovation and evolution also work with specialist
trucks finds application in mining environments, consultants from time to time, especially on components and testing. Cleveland, Ohio based
autonomously hauling material and interacting Pioneer Solutions supports leading OEMs through discrete projects: machine/system concepting;
with (semi-)automated shovels, loaders and structural design and analysis; hydraulic system/component design; power train and gearing, plus
crushers, while utilising a robust radar-based field testing. It recently completed a product design line upgrade for a major construction and
perception systems for GNNS-denied and rough mining equipment OEM. This included a complete machine re-design and upgrade of 60 t and 100 t
environments. In industrial environments like truck sizes; plus development of new machine layouts/concepts as well as detailed engineering
steel plants, we automate various material and design of a new main frame (chassis), front axle, rear axle, front/rear suspension, steering
handling and haulage tasks with large mobile mechanism and body. It also covered integration and detailed engineering/design of Tier 4 Final
machines. Within our automation ecosystem we engines and supporting systems. In the alternative energy/powertrain system feasibility studies
also provide starting points towards full side, Pioneer is working on development of concept powertrain systems to lower diesel fuel
autonomy, like operator assistance, tele- consumption – including mechanical/electrical drive, full electric drive and hybrid, as well as
operation and collision avoidance systems.” powertrain evaluations using machine/system modelling for performance, fuel consumption and
The company was founded in 2011 as a R&D energy usages over various mine site profiles. This work also includes system cost, weight,
subsidiary of indurad GmbH - the industrial radar performance, and value proposition reviews. The company told IM it is additionally continuing
company. The full xtonomy spin-off from indurad work with aftermarket LNG dual fuel conversions, working with a leading
has recently been launched with the long- aftermarket LNG dual fuel supplier on a wide variety of mechanical
standing experience of the robotics team. “The and electric drive models: Cat 777, 785, 793; Komatsu 785,
objective of this new venture is to bring our 730E, 830E, 930E; Unit Rig MT4400. This covers mainly
unique and proven autonomy ecosystem to system layout and machine integration plus tank
market as a stand-alone company that has mounting structural design and analysis. Finally,
envisioned to provide autonomy everywhere.” Pioneer has a well known oil cooled disc
Riedel adds: “We have extensive experience in brake (wet brake) product line and has
mobile machine automation based on radar expanded its brake offerings from
perception, applied in underground and surface 320 t size trucks to 360 t and
mining as well as industrial applications. We 400 t. It reports a significant
work in a consultative and solution-oriented increases in brake
manner in close cooperation with our customers. manufacturing output as customer
xtonomy prides itself for its multi-national and trucks move from prototype and Pioneer Solutions-design drive axle gearing
interdisciplinary team working hands-on at testing phases to production. (differential & planetary)
challenging projects worldwide. It is certain that

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operating in heavy off-road vehicles in remote

and harsh environments has been in use since
the early 2000s so starting Auto-mate’s system
trials for mining there was seen an opportunity
rather than a setback. The trials were designed to
test a range of key scenarios all previously
completed in a simulation environment. This
included loading and dumping at predetermined
locations, a range of haulage scenarios, obstacle
and void detection, and performing load and
dumping tasks. Where the autonomous vehicle
detected an obstacle, it would slow down, assess
the risk and, if safe, choose the optimal path
around the obstacle or void. The engineering
team currently running the trial in Israel is
expected to arrive in Australia mid-year 2022 to
further test Auto-mate’s solution at a site in
Western Australia.
The autonomy system from Auto-mate is not
only scalable and retrofittable, but is distinctive Thiess-blue trays, cementing its Liebherr has also developed a new 305 t truck,
progressive, helping customers move from Level commitment to growing in the region. The trucks the T 274 which bridges the gap between the
highly successful T 284 (363 t), and the recently
3 conditional automation to Level 5 (full expand Thiess’ 240 t fleet range to deliver clients
introduced T 264 (240 t)
automation) – a stepping stone solution useful productivity and efficiency gains by allowing
for smaller and mid-Tier mines that may want to faster cycle times and higher load capacity. The unique conditions Chile offers.”
prove the technology first. While the hardware is units have been deployed to client Antofagasta In 2015, construction began on the Encuentro
similar to other autonomous truck solutions Minerals’ Encuentro Oxides copper project (part Oxides project at the Minera Centinela operation.
namely radar, LiDAR, high resoution cameras – of Minera Centinela), where Thiess carries out It uses seawater without desalination, similar to
smart technology provides situational awareness drilling, load and haul, mobile equipment Centinela Sulfuros and Minera Antucoya. It is
and deep machine learning through the systems maintenance and mine services. located in the second region of Chile, 145 km
and sensors embedded on the vehicle – Thiess Executive General Manager Americas, northeast of the city of Antofagasta. The
delivering truly smart vehicles rather than Darrell White, said the arrival of the highly operation started production in October 2017 and
standard vehicles controlled by means of a smart efficient T 264 trucks was a first in Chile and is currently expected to operate until 2026. It is
control centre. Should communications be demonstrated Thiess’ investment in sustainable producing approximately 43,000 t/y of copper
temporarily lost, the vehicle will keep operating mining practices and delivering clients optimised cathode using the existing capacity at Centinela’s
in order to complete its mission, thus avoiding solutions. “The new T 264s feature electric drive SX-EW plant. Under the Encuentro Oxides
any loss of productivity or delays due to and higher load capacity than similar class trucks deposit lies the Encuentro Sulphides deposit
downtime. The open architecture of Auto-mate’s currently used in Chile, providing our clients with which in the future is set to be mined after the
solution also allows it to integrate with existing the opportunity to increase production capacity,” new Esperanza Sur pit – both operations would
systems and mixed fleets, lowering White said. “They also support our efforts to supply a new second concentrator.
implementation costs and giving visibility across service our clients with sustainable solutions In 2013, Liebherr received an initial request
the fleet. The customer can use the data while operating reliable, safe and productive from FQML to develop a 360 t trolley-capable
generated for forecasting and operational operations. The blue trays make a real statement haul truck for mine sites in Panama and Zambia.
improvements. about our team – they’re a first in Chile and they The trucks were required to integrate with the
Considerable interest has already been symbolise the unique service offer our team trolley power line that FQML had designed and
indicated by industry to see Auto-mate’s Cat 775 brings to the industry.” developed for the sites.
put through its paces in an operational Last year, Liebherr Chile’s Mining Division Agreeing to this partnership, Liebherr
environment. Auto-mate says it has progressed Director Dale Clayton stated: “The T 264 truck engineers began developing, testing and
with the development of its autonomous solution has a 240 t nominal payload capacity and an verifying the trolley solution. Two Liebherr T 284
in parallel for further applications in response to impressive payload to empty vehicle weight ratio, trucks with the Trolley Assist System were
market interest. This includes application on the leading to faster acceleration speeds, better commissioned at Sentinel copper mine in Zambia
Bis Rexx hauler, the 160 t innovative mining truck speed on grade and higher hauling capacity in 2016 and testing of the trolley solution began
with multiple steering and driving axles, enabling resulting in shorter cycle times and a lower cost in February of 2017, with 12 months allotted for
it to handle gradients of up to 12% when fully per tonne. The combination of a high-power the customer to evaluate the trucks, the trolley
loaded. Rexx has already been widely trialled, Cummins QSK60 2,700 hp diesel engine with the and the customer service.
including at Griffin Coal’s Ewington mine, Gold extremely efficient Liebherr AC electric At the end of the trial period, FQML expressed
Fields’ Granny Smith mine and Glencore’s Murrin propulsion system allows for maximum it was pleased with the results of the Trolley
Murrin nickel operation, all in Western Australia. productivity and reduced downtime. Our La Assist System and the performance of the T 284,
Negra Facility and Reman Centre is well placed to leading to an order for six more trolley-capable T
Liebherr’s T 264 and T 284 on the up provide spare parts and components as well as 284 trucks at Sentinel mine, along with 30-
Thiess says its five new electric drive Liebherr T training and technical support, and our teams are trolley-capable T 284 trucks for Cobre Panama
264s are making an impression in Chile with their experienced in servicing mining fleet in the copper mine in Panama, Liebherr says.

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As a mark of success of the partnership operations in Zambia and, more recently, as the powertrain prototype was recently completed
between FQML and Liebherr, along with the sole deployed truck at our Panama mining and presented at an event at the operations of
performance of the T 284 with trolley solution, operations. With a high degree of co-operation consortium member Reborn Electric Motors SpA
FQML recently confirmed an order for a further 11 between our organisations, we see this in Rancagua. The new powertrain is now
T 284 trucks. These three trucks for Sentinel partnership continuing to grow in years to undergoing extensive testing and during the next
mine and eight trucks for Cobre Panama mine come.” phase the consortium expect to retrofit it into a
will join the existing fleets operating with the Oliver Hoelzer, Director of Mining Liebherr- mining truck thought the exact model it will be
Trolley Assist System. This soon-to-be fleet of 38 Panamá, says: “Even before the arrival of the fitted to has yet to be finalised. The prototype is
T 284s in Panama will claim the title of the very first truck, Liebherr Panama’s relationship composed of a 60 kW fuel cell and 140 kWh
world’s largest ultra-class truck fleet on trolley, with FQML Panama has been more of a mutual battery. Specifically it has a Ballard FCmove™ HD
according to Liebherr. partnership than a pure business relationship. fuel cell and a Hexagon Purus type IV H2 storage
“Trolley Assist truck systems have become Our highly committed team recognises that system.
integral to the development of First Quantum’s Liebherr’s own success is intrinsically linked to The HYDRA project has four phases –
large scale open-pit truck haulage operations,” the success of FQML.” throughout 2021 and 2022, the engineering and
an FQML representative says. “Over the last Liebherr has also delivered six trolley-capable pre-feasibility study for the hydrogen mining
decade, First Quantum has emerged as one of 100 t T 236 haul trucks to the Erzberg iron ore truck solution, including the H2 supply chain, is
the industry leaders in implementation of Trolley mine in Austria, bringing the total number of being carried out. In addition, the prototype has
Assist systems across mine planning and design, Liebherr trucks with the Trolley Assist System to been built to evaluate the performance of the
installation, operations, and maintenance. We 56 once FQML’s newest fleet has been fuel cell and battery powertrain under specific
consider our purpose designed Trolley Assist commissioned. mining conditions. Both activities will allow the
systems deliver a step change in measurable consortium to validate the business case in more
haulage performance through increased truck High times for HYDRA detail. By 2023, the proof of concept will be
productivity, improved maintenance cost, and Progress is being made in Chile with the CORFO- carried out by converting a mining truck,
reduced carbon emissions. supported HYDRA Consortium project in Chile replacing the diesel engine with a fully electric 2
“During the past five years, Liebherr has which involves the development of a Fuel Cell MW hybrid propulsion system made up of the
proven itself as a proactive partner in the Electric Vehicle (FCEV) mining truck powered by battery and a fuel cell. The renewable hydrogen
development of Trolley Assist capable truck fleet both hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, which will will be produced through an electrolysis plant
systems. First Quantum has selected the Liebherr ultimately be installed at minesite pilot testing powered by renewable energy. By 2025, the
T 284 ultra-class truck for some of our Trolley locations including Antofagasta Minerals’ Minera consortium expects to scale the solution from
Assist deployments at our large-scale mining Centinela copper operation. A stationary FCEV mining trucks to hydrogen by shifting an entire

Schlam's HERCULES EXO

Looking at the very latest truck body techhnology, Western Australia-
based mining product and services supplier, Schlam, recently launched
the Hercules EXO, a next-generation mining dump body that, it says,
offers iron ore miners both a higher payload potential and longer service
life. Following the trial body development and testing, the first few The new Schlam
production bodies have only just left the factory and were to be HERCULES EXO
offers huge weight
commissioned by end-April 2022..The Hercules EXO is a 240-t-class iron
and maintenance
ore specific dump body that is 20% lighter than the company’s existing savings without
Hercules dump body. The decreased weight gives miners a greater compromising on
performance
payload potential, while a complete redesign and new material selection
have resulted in a 100% increase in service life, according to the company. the company. It also does not require the labour-intensive wear plate
Schlam CEO, Matt Thomas, says miners will no longer have to replacement events needed to achieve target body life. “When you factor
compromise between payload and longer service life with the arrival of in stored energy, working at heights, craneage, welding and more, liner
the Hercules EXO. “The Hercules EXO is an ultra-lightweight body that replacement is high-risk work,” Thomas said. “The Hercules EXO removes
maximises payload without sacrificing body life or requiring the addition these risks making it a safer option for miners.” The EXO project was
of wear packages,” he said. “It is the culmination of 20 years of completed in close consultation with Schlam’s customers, who revealed
continuous improvement and innovation wrapped into one high carbon impact is increasingly coming to the forefront of their concerns,
performance dump body.” Schlam’s engineering department completely the company said. “It’s no secret that steel production creates a lot of
redesigned the previous Hercules to reduce weight in all non-wearing carbon,” Thomas said. “However, having a dump body that uses less steel
components. “The team looked at the structural componentry individually in the original manufacturing process and only needs to be replaced every
to reduce weight so we can maximise steel thickness in the wearing eight years rather than every four has a massive net benefit on carbon
areas, where it really matters,” Thomas said. “Using hybrid steel production.” One factor in HERCULES EXO's development was Schlam's
thickness, combined with Hardox® 500 Tuf steel from Swedish steelmaker relationship with BHP, for whom it has been the exclusive tray supplier to
SSAB in the wearing areas, means that the EXO has a service life more its WA iron ore (WAIO) and Queensland BMA coal operations for the last
than double other lightweight options.” The extra service life has three three years. BHP was looking for a weight reduction of 400 to 600 kg per
added benefits: cost, safety and the environment, Schlam says. Compared truck body. Schlam managed to achieve 4.5 t. This has been a major
with heavy-duty products on the market that use liner packages, the factor in a new contract with BHP to continue supply all of the bodies for
payload potential of the Hercules EXO is far more significant, according to WAIO and BMA for the next four years.

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Fortescue’s hydrogen in only 130 days. The prototype is limited to 15

truck journey & WAE km/h for safe operation at the Hazelmere, Perth
buy test facility due to the size of the yard but by late
Fortescue Metals Group 2022, FFI is aiming to test at Fortescue iron ore
recently entered into an minesites both this FCEV hydrogen fuel cell truck
agreement to acquire UK- as well as the mentioned 240 t all battery electric
based Williams Advanced truck.
Engineering (WAE) from FFI Chief Executive Officer Julie Shuttleworth
EMK Capital and Williams recently told IM: “The MT4400 AC was chosen as
Grand Prix Engineering the base truck for the FCEV project as it had
Limited for £164 million achieved its end of life for mining, it was
($223 million) in a deal that available and is a good donor truck for this type
closed in early March 2022 of work.” When asked what made it possible to
and will, FMG says, enable it achieve an operating FCEV truck in only 130 days,
to accelerate and support Shuttleworth commented: “Stretch targets are
the decarbonisation of its nothing new for Fortescue, and at FFI we have
HYDRA’S FCEV mining truck stationary mining operations as well as establish an approached this as we have done with other
powertrain prototype was recently completed important new business growth opportunity. WAE stretch targets – by setting targets that others
will be vertically integrated into Fortescue’s would consider impossible and then leveraging
fleet of trucks at a specific mine site. This will diversified resources and green energy business from our experiences through engineering,
allow the mining company to achieve its and will be managed via Fortescue Future trades, and leadership to work collaboratively
decarbonisation goals, while promoting the Industries (FFI), Fortescue’s green energy and together as a fully empowered and
development of renewable hydrogen in Chile, green technology division. entrepreneurial team.” She added on whether
this being the first step to becoming a potential Fortescue has worked closely with WAE since the current ratio of fuel cell to battery power on
exporter of renewable H2. early 2021 to design and build a prototype the FCEV truck finalised: “Fuel cell to battery
Added to that the HYDRA Consortium now has battery system to power an electric mining haul power modelling has been done extensively,
a new member – mining truck and mining truck, an important first step in the which is why we will continue to move quickly
excavator major Liebherr Group. It joins ENGIE, decarbonisation of its mining haul fleet, the and deploy machines out in an operational
Mining3, CSIRO Chile, Mitsui & Co (USA), Inc, miner said. Together, Fortescue and WAE will environment to learn more.”
Antofagasta Minerals, Thiess, Reborn, Ballard & develop battery-electric solutions for Fortescue’s Shuttleworth accepted that there are several
Hexagon Purus. Liebherr has a large mining truck rail, mobile haul fleet and other heavy mining challenges that need to be solved in getting the
fleet in Chile at operations like Collahuasi and equipment, to accelerate the rapid abatement of hydrogen FCEV and all battery trucks up to
Radomiro Tomic and has openly stated its multi- diesel usage to achieve the decarbonisation of current conventional truck capabilities, adding:
pronged approach to helping the mining industry Fortescue’s mining operations by 2030. In “We are leveraging off known technologies to
achieve its GHG emission reduction goals. It also addition, Fortescue and WAE will work together overcome these challenges and enable the
has trucks operating with fellow consortium to grow WAE’s green technology and engineering machines to equal, or better, current operational
member and global mining contractor, Thiess business. performance.”
which has the mentioned ongoing contract at the One of the first major projects to be developed
Centinela mine plus others such as at Mantos will be a world leading battery-electric train XCMG launches new 400 t ultraclass
Copper’s Mantos Blancos operation. concept. The two are also working on a 240 t all- model
On its path to zero emissions in its mining battery-electric truck that is in development. WAE Looking at the Chinese market, rolling off its
equpiment, Liebherr’s Oliver Weiss, Executive has begun testing the cells of a battery that will production line recently was the 400 t (metric)
Vice President R&D, Engineering and power the battery-electric truck before class diesel-electric AC drive XDE440 mining
Manufacturing said last year: “We have decided performance testing at FMG’s Pilbara mining truck, claimed as the world’s largest by Xuzhou-
to go forward in two steps, immediate and operations. Fortescue, as a foundation customer, headquartered Chinese construction and mining
medium-term solutions and initiatives. Firstly, we will support the development and manufacturing equipment giant XCMG. XCMG stated: “The
will offer low carbon emission solutions such as of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell power XDE440, the world’s largest rear-drive rigid
electric drive for all trucks and excavator types, units with the goal for WAE
trolley assist and cable reeler beginning in 2022. to become a major player in FFI's FCEV mining truck at its
Additionally, the first renewable fuel option for the growing global market Hazlemere facility in Perth
the internal combustion engine drive train for for heavy mobile equipment
machines with Liebherr combustions engines is and rail.
available. And secondly, we will offer proven On the FCEV side of
fossil fuel free mining equipment by 2030 at the things, FFI took a older 221 t
latest. The equipment for digging, hauling and class Terex Unit Rig MT4400
dozing will be based on different drive train AC electric drive truck that it
technologies such as a battery power module, a already had in its fleet and
H2 fuel cell power module and internal converted it into a running
combustion engines with several further fuel cell electric vehicle
renewable fuel solutions depending on the (FCEV), powered by green
equipment type.” hydrogen and battery power,

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mining car, has rolled off the production line. This in Kamoa-Kakula in DRC
is not only an important milestone in the (45.04% including
development of XCMG’s mining equipment indirect holdings in
industry, but also an important breakthrough in Ivanhoe), Kolwezi copper
high-end mining equipment in China and the mine, also in DRC,
world.” It added that the truck is aimed at the Buritica gold mine in
“global high-end mining market” such as Colombia, Cukari Peki
operations in South America, North America and copper mine in Serbia,
Australia, citing a potential availability of over plus numerous other
95% and annual working hours of 7,300 hours. operations in China. It
The title of largest mining truck has already has already applied a
been claimed several years back by BELAZ with Chinese mining truck
its 450 t 75710 but this is undoubtedly a new fleet in Serbia in the form
addition to the super ultra class mining truck of NHL NTE240 electric
world. drive units.
The company says the XDE440 is being XCMG said that the truck had also been XCMG's XDE440 at its recent launch in China
delivered in batches to Chinese mining major developed for a second major mining customer,
Zijin Mining for its Serbia Zijin copper mines in China Minmetals, the owner of MMG, which
Serbia (which includes three open pits), operates some of the world’s largest mines cooperation model has been established to help
furthering the long-term strategic cooperation including Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, the high-quality development of the mines.”
between the two companies. “We will keep Dugald River zinc mine in Australia, Kinsevere “The XDE440 has a load capacity of 400 t, and
pursuing an intelligent, high-end, green mining copper mine in DRC and Rosebery base metals is nearly three stories high, creating the world’s
solution to level up our customer experience and mine in Tasmania, Australia. “Minmetals and rear-drive rigid mining truck load record,” said
maximise our customer value,” said Lu Chuan, XCMG have a very deep and long-standing XCMG Mining Machinery Project R&D Head Xie
President of XCMG at the launch event. XCMG’s friendship. XCMG has strong engineering Heping, adding “in order to meet the demand of
mining equipment offer now includes 70-700 t capabilities, reliable product quality and ultimate 400 t of load, we independently developed the
mining excavators, 30-440 t mining dump trucks, service throughout the lifecycle,” said Zhang world’s largest output torque and wheel reducer
100-6,000 t/h crushing and screening machinery Liang, Director of Resources Supply Chain at plus the world’s strongest wet disk brake.”
and 350 hp to 550 hp graders. Minmetals Group, adding that the development XCMG also cited intelligent variable frequency
Zijin owns some of the world’s most important of mines at home and abroad “is fully integrated traction, high torque hub drive, cab rollover
mines, particularly in copper and gold, from with the advantages of XCMG’s advanced protection and anti-fatigue design of large
Julong Copper in Tibet, China, to a 39.6% interest technology and equipment, and a new bearing components.

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XCMG added that with the implementation of Luoyang Molybdenum, which owns the Tenke Cummins and other international companies, it is
China’s national ‘3060 dual carbon’ strategy, “the Fungurume copper-cobalt mine as well as the also advanced in developing its own
mining and utilisation of China’s mineral DRC Iron Resources project. Also in the 91 t class, technologies. It owns the only state-level
resources is quietly undergoing a new round of but this time in maintenance, NHL has won a bid engineering research centre in the field of mining
adjustment. The green, high-end, large-scale and wth Shenhua Nortel Shengli Energy, the national trucks in China. It is the chairman unit of the
intelligent upgrading of mining construction energy and coal mining group in China to Engineering Transportation Machinery Branch of
equipment has become an inevitable trend.” The undertake daily maintenance on 48 sets of trucks China Construction Machine Industry Association
3060 decarbonisation strategy is China’s over a contract period of three years, which Mining Truck Branch, part of the Chinese Society
commitment to hit peak emissions by 2030 at the includes NHL trucks but also those from two of Automotive Engineering. It is one of the
latest and then achieve carbon neutrality by other manufacturers. leading companies involved in setting national
2060. NHL says it is also investing more than 5% of standards for mine trucks in China.
its revenue in R&D. “Our technology centre Recently, NHL working with CRRC, Kazakhstan
NHL as a technology & autonomy makes comprehensive use of international and Power Group and other domestic leading
leader domestic intellectual and material resources, enterprises in a project devoted to rectification
In January 2022, China's mining truck market adopting a way of production, learning and and inverter control of electric drive mining
leader, Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock research on the basis of tracking the world's trucks, developed its own electric drive solution
Co (NHL) won a bid to supply its 91 t TR100A advanced technology, while taking customer for 220 t, 236 t and 330 t trucks, and the first
mining truck model to a collaboration between demand as the starting point and carrying out NTE360B large mining truck with a Chinese made
Chinese contract mining and mine development appropriate advances gradually from passive to electric wheel motor has been successfully
giants China Railway Seventh Bureau (CRSG) and active,” said Deputy Chief Designer Yang Zhe. tested and debugged. NHL has also entered the
China CRG Ninth Bureau for a total amount of While the company participates in joint second phase of development of a new mining
nearly 300 million yuan or over US$47 million. research and development with its key truck remote health diagnosis service platform.
The mining trucks will be used in the DRC by component suppliers like Wabtec, Siemens, “This is the first intelligent central control system

XEMC going international with 120 t battery truck

In 2021, Chinese mining truck OEM Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co
Ltd (XEMC), whose mining equipment now comes under Xiangtan Electric
Manufacturing Group Heavy Equipment (XEG), as part of a contract with
energy company SPIC, converted a 108 t class SF31904 AC drive rigid truck
to run on all electric lithium battery power in Huolinhe coal mine, Inner
Mongolia. The converted truck became the word’s largest BEV and has a
120 t payload. It began operations in July 2021 and has a large capacity
and high peformance CATL battery pack with four charging ports capable
of charging from a fixed charging station in about 90 mins then is able to
work for 7-8 hours. This is done with manual plug in charging, but there is
a robotic arm 1,500 kW/h charging project ongoing. XEMC says a
traditional 100 ton truck consumes 1,200-1,600 L of diesel a day and the
cost is about $1,480-1,970 for the mine. The power consumption of the After testing its 120 t battery electric mining truck at Huolinhe coal
electric truck is 3,800-4,300 kW per day, at a cost of $263-298. In addition mine in China, XEMC now has orders for the truck from both China and
Brazil, plus is forming Igreencle, a new electric mining equipment
there are savings from less maintenance work eg changing engine oil, fuel company, with Datang Telecom and SPIC
and air filters. Low noise, zero emissions and estimated annual CO2
emissions reduction of 1,500 t. One truck feature is a retard resistance not want to share all its technical IP openly with other OEMs as well as
box – while retarding, the system will charge the battery when the bus there being some differences in opinion of how mining BEV charging
voltage is in safety range, otherwise using the retard resistance box to should move forward. Finally, what about the relatively large number of
consume the retard power. Jimmy Ji, XEMC Director, Marketing & Sales: wide body trucks eg 50 or 60 t capacity, now running in China from Tonly,
“Of course like any prototype there have been some issues and failures Liugong, Zoomlion, LGMG, Sany, Weichai and others? Ji said as these
but the truck has been operating for nine months now with any major trucks are not operating around the clock and their chassis design means
issues. It is being loaded in the same way as the diesel trucks with rope they can only accommodate small battery packs – they are simply using a
shovels. XEG has two orders for the electric truck – one for trucks to be swapping strategy with the batteries needing changed every two to three
leased in China for a zinc mine in Yunnan Province. That is for two units hours of running. But swapping is also being developed for larger mining
set to be delivered in August 2022. A second order is from a Brazilian trucks and a project on this is underway between XEMC and Huolinhe
mining contractor, initially for two trucks but with an a further 10 planned mine. Ji said it has its challenges due to the amount of high and low
– the first two set to be shipped in June/July 2022. It is understood that voltage connections as well as the cooling system; to the point where as
the Brazilian trucks will also be retrofitted for autonomy as well. There is charging technology improves, then that is likely a better option, for
a new project with a Chinese mining company to look at building a 220 t larger rigid mining trucks anyway. The final piece of news was that
electric truck likely to start in mid-2022 but involves higher voltage XEMC/XEG and two partners (telecomms/5G group Datang and Huolinhe
charging so there is work to be done on the charging station connectors. mine owner, energy group SPIC) are forming a new company called
Again this truck will be based on retrofit of an existing diesel-electric drive Igreencle to focus on green mining trucks and other electric mining
truck. XEMC did join the Charge On Innovation Challenge, but left after the equipment. Igreencle will be fulfilling the order for the next 10 Brazil
second round, as it was the only mining truck OEM involved and so did trucks following the first two. 

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which increases the difficulty of mine production.

NHL also believes unmanned operation is an
effective way to deal with these challenges, plus
it helps to achieve safer production, as well as
reducing labour and vehicle use costs, and of
course improving operating efficiency. NHL has
so far achieved seven autonomous mining truck
projects successfully, and the number of
unmanned mining vehicles implemented exceeds
110. It has also successfully set up a national
standard for unmanned driving and 10 group
standards. It now functions as a Ministry of
Industry and Information Technology special
vehicle unmanned key laboratory.
Finally on the topic of zero emissions trucks,
NHL was one of the first to test battery trucks
going back over five years with initial trials of a
NHL NTE360A operating at Yancoal Mt Thorley At the same time, NHL, working with 30 t class unit. Today, as battery technology has
Warkworth in Australia
Chinesetechnology partners like TAGE Idriver, moved on, it has developed the 50 t class TR50E
continues to systematically advance the with a CATL lithium iron phosphate battery pack
for mine trucks in China, which was jointly development of mining truck autonomy, to help and is testing three units at a site which are
developed by us and the Beijing Institute of towards the construction of intelligent mines, In being used for full-load downhill hauls with
Technology. It realises the remote monitoring recent years, with the mining depth of large-scale rengenerative charging. The company told IM
service of all the running conditions of the truck,” open-pit mines increasing, grades of haul roads that the potential market in China is huge and it
said Yang Zhe. are increasing and more bends are incorporated, will in turn look to develop larger models. IM

CATL on battery swapping and range, and has greatly improved the efficiency of vehicle operation.
IM caught up with Chinese battery giant CATL recently in an exclusive The swapping approach also has potential in mining.
interview to find out more about its role in mining’s zero emissions journey
Q Quite a lot of “wide body” trucks have already been made with battery
Q What are the unique challenges in applying battery power to large power - what has been learned from these trucks on what is the right
mining vehicles? battery chemistry and right charging strategy for mining trucks?
A Unlike applications of passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, the A Almost all the wide body mining trucks of the above-mentioned
mining application of traction batteries is faced with unique challenges manufacturers are equipped with LFP batteries produced by CATL. We
including recharging. Uphill driving of heavy-duty mining vehicles requires believe LFP is the right battery chemistry considering the complicated
high energy consumption and subsequently multiple rounds of battery working conditions in mining such as collision, jolting, and extreme
charging. We see battery swapping is an effective solution to address this temperatures. As for charging strategy, we suggest a discharging range of
challenge. The vibration and shock caused by the rough and bumpy 30% to 95% for the sake of battery health. Meanwhile, we will help our
grounds can be two to three times stronger than those on the roads, and customers to build a battery charging and swapping dispatch system,
collision and overturning might happen in mining areas, which requires which enables the integration and coordination of shift rotation, driver
higher damage resistance of large-capacity battery systems and higher dining, maintenance and production.
level of safety after thermal propagation is caused by destruction. A large
amount of road and working condition data are integrated into CATL’s Q Is there also a large market for hybrid battery-fuel cell trucks in
unique heavy-duty truck pack design standard to ensure a stable mining or do you think all battery trucks will dominate?
operation of vehicles in complex environments. Trucks are often faced A We believe pure electric is the ideal solution to mining vehicles. First of
with harsh conditions of dust, mud water and sometimes extreme all, we are confident in our battery technological strengths and extensive
temperatures, which requires a high level of Ingress Protection rating. The application experience of these technologies, and new breakthroughs are
built-in heating film and water cooling system of CATL’s batteries can achieved almost every day in the industry; second, the control logic and
effectively adapt to harsh mining environments and ensure worry-free mechanical structure of pure electric trucks is simpler than those of
operation. The battery protection level reaches IP68, which effectively hybrid ones, which means lower failure rate and easier maintenance.
eliminates dust and water in a working environment.
Q Will you also supply charging infrastructure and technology for mining
Q What progress with heavy truck battery swapping have you made to date? vehicles?
A In February 2022, CATL and SANY Group celebrated the operation of the A Users of mining vehicles are most concerned about the operational
Fujian battery swapping demonstration project for heavy-duty trucks and efficiency issues caused by slow charging, charging difficulties, range
China’s first road for electric heavy-duty trucks. The electric heavy-duty anxiety, etc. The current charging mode cannot fully solve the user pain
trucks launched on the road are all installed with CATL’s large-capacity points, and therefore the battery swapping mode was created.
LFP batteries, which can not only achieve net-zero emissions and zero Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd (CAES), CATL’s
pollution, but also meet high-power fast charging and rapid battery wholly-owned subsidiary, provides battery swapping solutions including
swapping within 3-5 minutes, relieving anxiety in terms of charging time infrastructure and technologies to the EV industry.

MAY 2022 | International Mining 67