The progression of the electrification of all types of vehicles continues its course and is increasingly incorporated into more areas, which provides technological innovations that can optimize processes such as battery recharging. Sectors such as heavy machinery, which continues to operate mostly with fossil fuels, seek a greater commitment to the environment and also to reduce costs by incorporating zero-emission proposals.
An example of this is the company Fortescue Metals Group. This business giant of iron mining has announced its decarbonization for the end of this decade. Their forecasts are based not only on the continued decline in the use of fossil fuels but also on long-term financial savings.
The great virtues of these monstrous electric trucks impress more than their size.
The way to do it is to convert its fleet, made up of more than 240 giant mining trucks that consume some 200 million liters of fuel per year, to one hundred percent electric mobility. A few months ago, Fortescue reached an agreement with the German manufacturer Liebherr to jointly develop an electric mining truck based on the T 264 model.
Characteristics
Its electric motors together provide no less than 4,425 CV
It is a beast of 240 tons moved by various electric motors that provide a combined power of 4,425 hp. This same year, tests will begin with the first prototype in the Australian region of the Pilbara.
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To be able to power a vehicle of such power it was necessary to have a battery pack at the same level and that is exactly what has been achieved. Developed by the company WAE Technologies (until recently known as Williams Advanced Engineering), the system is simply impressive.
The great virtues of these monstrous electric trucks impress more than their size.
Described as the largest battery in its category, it is a 1,400 kWh piece (almost 20 times more than the battery capacity of a Tesla Model 3) that weighs no less than 16 tons and measures 3.6 meters long. , 1.6 meters wide and 2.4 meters high. The battery is not a single piece, but consists of eight identical packs.
immense proportions
The impressive battery electric of these trucks weighs 16 tons and is 3.6 meters long
Each of these packages is made up of 36 modules with their own management and cooling systems. Although the autonomy achieved by these trucks has not yet been made public, other details have been reported. The most striking is that, in fast charging mode, the batteries can be recharged in just 30 minutes thanks to a technology that other electric mobility alternatives could also benefit from.
The great virtues of these monstrous electric trucks impress more than their size.
Another aspect to highlight is that these trucks have energy regeneration, since they recover part of their load while driving on descending terrain. Once the testing period is complete and its reliability confirmed, Fortescue’s fleet of mining trucks will begin to convert to electric. To see the monster trucks (some of them with autonomous driving technology) that will gradually go electric in operation, just take a look at the video that accompanies this article.
