The turning point in BEV adoption in underground mining is here. After more than a decade of research, product development and testing, we’ve turned the corner from trials to fleet deployments. There are several BEV fleets underground that far surpass their diesel equivalents in overall performance and productivity with availability mines require. Forward-leaning BEV adopters are convinced enough to submit repeat orders. It’s becoming clear that the time for trials is over, and that we should expect more from BEV equipment. Hear what it took Sandvik to get to this point, what we’ve learned about BEV performance and total cost of ownership after more than half a million battery driveline operating hours, and how we are ramping up for the next chapter in mining electrification.
The mining industry is key to the green transition; as the world is moving away from oil, coal and gas, it is replacing it with minerals and metals. Therefore, the mining industry has a significant role to play. We cannot achieve a green transition with dirty metals; we need green mining. While mining will always have local environmental impacts, it doesn’t have to have a substantial global impact. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the industry have a special responsibility, as mining companies rely on OEMs to provide green mining solutions.
The Media Luna Project, owned by Torex Gold, is being developed with six primary mining zones each with designated infrastructure. At steady-state production, the underground mine is expected to deliver an average rate of 7,500 t/d of ore to the upgraded processing plant. When it moves into production, the mobile equipment fleet will be almost all battery electric, resulting in reduced ventilation requirements for steady-state output. MacLean, as a leading supplier of BEV production support equipment, has been supporting Torex with this vision. This presentation will go into some detail on the MacLean fleet to be used at Media Luna and how the mine has been specifically designed to achieve the best results from this equipment.
Click Here to Download Session PDFKeimpe Nevenzeel will present more details on Shell’s Mining Electrification Solutions for off-road vehicles. The solution aims to be an end-to-end, modular and interoperable electrification system that reduces emissions with minimal operational impact, supported by technology that enables 220 tonne haul trucks to be charged within four minutes by 2024, with an outlook to achieve approximately 90-second charge time. Mining assets can be assured of reliable and continuous operations, as charge points are designed to be flexible, hardwearing, resilient and compatible with ultrafast charging even in the most challenging of environments.
Click Here to Download Session PDFSince the launch of the Normet SmartDrive® battery electric architecture, multiple SmartDrive equipment have been deployed globally in numerous different countries and sites. In this presentation, the Normet electrification strategy and SmartDrive architecture are discussed, followed by analysis of operational data and experiences from different sites. In particular, the analysis focuses on the effect of duty cycles on fuel savings and battery lifespan expectancy thereof.
Click Here to Download Session PDFThe underground environment presents a wide range of challenges for miners including extreme temperatures, noise and air quality. This discussion will explore the rapidly accelerating demand for more sustainable solutions to address these challenges, and the initial success of Caterpillar’s first battery-electric underground loader.
As the mining industry transitions to electrification, work is being carried out across various stakeholder groups to develop an industry-wide, multi-megawatt charging interface. The mining environment demands robustness to ensure a safe and reliable transfer of high charging power.
The port industry began electrifying ahead of the mining industry. Also operating in harsh environments, many in this sector have shifted to automated, fully-enclosed connectors to help reduce the maintenance cycles, reduce downtime and keep conductive dust outside the connector area.
In this presentation, we will discuss contact technology basics; connector solutions for commercial EV charging in the market today; the pros and cons of manual charging (eg CCS, MCS, GBT, ChaDeMo), automated charging and battery swapping; the global standards and interoperability between various EVSE and vehicle OEMs for widespread adoption; and considerations for future charging connectors for the mining industry and impacts on lifecycle, reliability and uptime in mission-critical applications.
Epiroc is one of the world’s leading suppliers of mining equipment, including underground loaders, trucks and drills where it continues to make pioneering advances in both electrification and automation. In this talk, representatives from Epiroc, one of its key customers, Vale, and its battery systems partner, Northvolt, will highlight how the topics of electrification and circularity are coming together to produce tangible results at mining operations, all aimed at boosting productivity, sustainability and profitability.
It’s estimated that 4-7% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from the mining sector’s direct emissions. Including embedded emissions, the sector accounts for 28% of global GHG emissions. Diesel fuel is often the largest source of direct GHG emissions, and haulage the main contributor. If a mine can electrify its hauling operations, it can significantly reduce GHG emissions and lower costs, however this brings a new and unique set of challenges. This session will review a study comparing GHG emissions and operating and capital costs associated with seven haulage options – one of which is Railveyor, a fully electric light rail-based TrulyAutonomous system that offers the best energy efficiency in material haulage available today.
Click Here to Download Session PDFJoin three battery-electric early adopters for a panel discussion about their journey to decide to go electric – a journey that should see the three fleet customers operate a combined 54 BEVs by the end of 2025. Panelists will share insights about their decision to switch from diesel to battery-electric in their mines. The discussion will provide a glimpse into trade-off considerations, the decision-making process, the challenges faced, and the ongoing efforts to prepare for the new equipment. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and pioneers about what it takes to make the step up to next-level BEV adoption
Click Here to Download Session PDFBluVein, a joint venture between Olitek Mining Robotics (Australia) and Evias (Sweden), is seeking to dynamically power mixed-OEM haul fleets while in motion, enabling smaller on-board battery packs, faster vehicle haulage speeds up ramp, grid load balancing, elimination of static fast charging, maximum fleet availability and – most importantly – the complete elimination of diesel. The company is looking to enact this change by leveraging the BluVein Rail™ slotted power rail system and the on-vehicle BluVein Hammer™ to simultaneously charge and power mining fleets ‘on the go’. In this presentation, James Oliver will highlight the various options BluVein is set to offer mining companies and the need for a standardised dynamic charging technology to decarbonise the mining sector.
Xerotech, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Ireland, is a leading manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion battery systems. Xerotech's Hibernium® battery pack adapts to the bespoke needs of your application. With Hibernium, you choose your desired energy content, operating voltage range, physical dimensions and battery cell chemistry. There are no design or engineering costs for one-off prototyping projects, making this solution one of the only viable options for low-volume, high-diversity projects. Further, Xerotech's patented technology, Xerotherm®, represents a complete step change in the safety and performance of battery systems. Our thermal management and safety technology is one of the best technical solutions in the world.
France-based ARAMINE is known for its technological expertise and innovative mining product offering, with much of this reputation based on the development of equipment for narrow-vein operations. More recently this equipment has started to become electrified; a process that started in 2015 with the design of a “true battery loader” that was safe, reliable and efficient. Now having a fleet of battery-electric vehicles in its equipment development and production pipeline that covers LHDs, trucks and drills, Aramine is becoming a household name in the electrification space. This presentation will provide an overview on the evolution of the company’s battery-electric solutions for small galleries, starting with the well-established miniLoader® L140B and progressing through to larger trucks and other equipment.
Electrification of vehicles has been accelerating across the mining sector in recent years. The drivers for that trend are well known. However, there are a lot of second-order aspects to electrification that create challenges, eg increased efficiency/NVH needs, as well as opportunities, eg potential for new driveline layouts. This presentation discusses how a comprehensive engineering approach and leveraging learnings from multiple markets can cope with those challenges and lead to productive solutions. This approach is illustrated using Dana’s development of the eSP502, a dual-motor powershift transmission designed for heavy-duty mining applications, as well as other electrification solutions.
This presentation will explore strategies for optimising mines for electric vehicles, including opportunity charging, charger placement and task planning for regenerative charging. We will discuss benefits and challenges of electric vehicle deployment in mining and offer real-life case studies and practical guidance for operators and managers. Attendees will gain key insights and best practices for efficient and effective electric vehicle deployment in their operations.
Along with its core services of mine planning, operations and closure, Stantec helps miners reach their net-zero goals by reducing energy consumption and replacing conventional energy with cleaner sources. This presentation will outline Stantec GenerationAV™, our autonomous vehicle (AV) consulting arm focused on accelerating AV adoption, and how the aspects of electrification and automation can provide synergies from a mobile equipment perspective.
Jim Fisk of Railveyor and Steve Dismuke of The Doe Run Company (retired) will discuss leading the implementation of innovative technology and how suppliers and mining companies can support one another. They will tell the story of the commissioning of the Railveyor system at Doe Run's Buick-Casteel Mine in Missouri, reflecting on the values that made the experience a success – willingness to take calculated risk, perseverance, transparency and continuous improvement. With decades of experience behind them, this talk is a must-see for those who want to see innovation made real.
ESG mandates, fuel prices and the rise of practical battery-electric vehicle (BEV) solutions have got many OEMs and operators thinking hard about BEVs for heavy equipment. Many have gone in that direction, but there is still a whole lot of guesswork:
- Is battery-electric cost-efficient for huge machines?
- Will heavy-duty BEVs work without disrupting normal duty cycles?
- Type of BEV: fast-charge or battery swapping?
- Is there truly an ROI…how can I be sure?
MEDATech’s Darren Mueller will answer these questions and explain how OEMs and site owners can not only calculate a precise return on investment, but also determine the optimal BEV battery-and-infrastructure mix for any site.
Starting up an all-electric underground mine is faced with both engineering and operational challenges that present productivity risks if not understood and managed. The early construction and development phase of the mine will have additional constraints that can increase the likelihood of productivity risks occurring. This presentation focuses on the development phase, examining the benefits, challenges and known pitfalls facing a mine operator considering an electric operation. Troy will give a presentation outlining some early ‘all-electric’ adoption concepts to help plan for zero emissions throughout the mine development lifecycle.
Managing a fully electrified mine presents numerous challenges, from understanding individual machine conditions to assessing fleet performance in the context of operations. Compounding these challenges, most mines around the world have acquired fleets from multiple OEMs for historical, technical, or financial reasons. TALPA provides an agnostic platform that integrates the demands of mining end users and OEMs alike. Relevant use cases from TALPA’s experience and a live demonstration of how the platform can be tailored to meet the unique needs of electric mines will be covered in this presentation.
In this presentation, we will demonstrate that immersion cooling with fluids increases the safety of the battery, regardless of the battery cell type used. We will also outline several opportunities to reduce the cost and weight of the battery system – highlighting lighter and cheaper batteries with a simplified design – plus talk about the possibilities for ultra-fast charging.
Though suppliers and technology providers can describe and provide detailed specifications of their products, the impact of implementing new technologies in a mine- or business-wide scale is often misunderstood or quantified in a way that hinders mining executives from making informed decisions about mine electrification and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Fraser McGill, having conducted the first holistic, mine-wide study of BEV implementation in 2020, developed a methodology to qualify and quantify all aspects of BEV planning and implementation. Fraser McGill has now completed more than a dozen assignments and studies advising mining companies on the right strategy and approach for assessing and adopting BEV technology.
