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Mining magnate orders electric heavy vehicles
Article by Richard Szabo courtesy of Australasian Mine Safety Journal.
A resources mogul began rolling out eco friendly locomotives at a major mine.
Gina Rinehart recently ordered what was touted to be the first 100 per cent battery powered, heavy-haul train.
The heavy vehicle will be used for mainline service work at Hancock Prospecting’s Roy Hill operation.
Wabtec delivered the innovative FLXdrive technology painted in a “striking” pink. It boasts a 7 megawatt hour capacity, regenerative braking, and battery thermal management system with liquid cooling. It is also promised to deliver “double digit” reductions in emissions and fuel costs.
“By using regenerative braking it will charge its battery on the 344km downhill run from our mine to port facility and use that stored energy to return to the mine, starting the cycle all over again,” Hancock CEO Gerhard Veldsman said in a public statement.
“This will not only enable us to realise energy efficiencies but also lower operating costs.”