Back in June 2021, Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) and ABB announced their collaboration to develop a full battery electric mining truck that would receive the power it needs to operate from an overhead tram catenary while simultaneously charging on-board energy based on an energy storage system with technology high power and long life batteries from ABB.
Then, in March 2023, HCM and First Quantum announced that the Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia would be a test site ideal for these trials thanks to its existing trolley assist system aligned with the development of battery-powered haul trucks. The mine already has 41 HCM trolleybuses.
IM can report that the new truck is now close to completion. HCM Japan told IM: “Hitachi Construction Machinery will deliver its first all-battery rigid dump truck with ABB Ltd batteries, on-board chargers and associated infrastructure around mid-2024 to First Quantum’s Kanshan West plant. Technical feasibility study of copper and gold mining. operation”.
The trial deployment will coincide with Kansanshi’s S3 expansion project, with commissioning and first production expected in 2025, HCM added. Basic functions of the battery system, as well as hydraulic equipment and auxiliary operations are currently being tested, HCM added. Pantograph at the Hitchinaka Rinko factory in Japan. Hitachi may also test trolleybuses at its Urahoro test site in Japan. The actual category of full battery trucks has not yet been revealed.
By applying proven technology from existing trolleybus systems to battery-powered dump trucks, Hitachi Construction Machinery can accelerate the market development of its products. The system’s upgradeable design also provides the added benefit of allowing existing diesel truck fleets to be upgraded to future-proof battery systems, providing scalable fleet capabilities, minimal operational impact and greater value for customers like First Quantum.
First Quantum’s existing Hitachi construction equipment fleet includes 39 EH3500ACII and two EH3500AC-3 rigid trucks operating in mining operations in Zambia, as well as several construction-scale machines operating globally. An additional 40 EH4000AC-3 trucks, equipped with the latest HCM/Bradken rugged pallet design, are being shipped to Kansas to support the expansion of the S3 expansion project. The first new Hitachi EH4000 dump truck (No. RD170) will enter service in September 2023. Also delivered were six new EX5600-7E (electric) excavators equipped with Bradken Eclipse buckets and missing tooth detection technology.
Once completed, the S3 expansion project will include a 25 tonne per annum off-grid processing plant and a new, larger mining park, increasing Kansan West’s total annual production capacity to 53 tonne per annum. Once the expansion is completed, copper production at Kansansi is expected to average around 250,000 tonnes per year over the remaining mine life until 2044.
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Post time: Dec-13-2023