Rio Tinto tests battery swap technology for electric dump trucks
Eight electric mining dump trucks and a robot-assisted battery changing and charging station are to be used in the two-year project. The aim of the project is to enable dump trucks to quickly replace their batteries with fully charged batteries instead of having to charge the vehicles for a long time at a stationary charging station. In other words, this would increase the operating time of the dump trucks.
The technology is already being used in dump trucks in the Chinese mining industry, and the collaboration with SPIC will enable Rio Tinto to trial a complete ecosystem of battery-powered dump trucks and chargers in one of its operations.
As part of the two-year project, eight electric dump trucks, each with a payload of 91 tonnes and 13 batteries, as well as a robot-assisted battery changing and charging station will be deployed at the Oyu Tolgoi surface mine in Mongolia. Experts from Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi worked closely with SPIC and truck manufacturer Tonly to adapt the design of the equipment to Rio Tinto’s safety requirements for electric trucks.
Each battery is expected to last up to 8 hours and the battery change only takes about 7 minutes. The first electric dump truck will arrive at Oyu Tolgoi later this year and the remaining seven vehicles, along with the infrastructure for battery swapping and recharging, will be operational by mid-2025.
Jonathon McCarthy, Rio Tinto’s Chief Decarbonisation Officer, said: “By partnering with the State Power Investment Corporation, we will be demonstrating the latest technology and innovation available in China and assessing its potential to help decarbonise our operations quickly and cost effectively. This demonstration will allow us to explore applications for battery swap technology that deliver more flexibility and less downtime than current static charging technologies.”
Han Zhiwei, Chairman of State Power Investment Group, said: “Through our collaboration with Rio Tinto, we are bringing leading green transportation innovations to the international market, showcasing the strength of Chinese enterprises in the field of green technology innovation. We hope our low-carbon technologies will assist Rio Tinto in achieving its decarbonisation targets, and we look forward to continued cooperation between both parties to jointly promote the application of green energy.”
For Rio Tinto, which is also entering the lithium business with the acquisition of Arcadium, it is only a small step towards electrifying its fleet for the time being: the company operates around 700 dump trucks worldwide, most of which run on diesel. If the trial is successful, Rio Tinto could electrify its fleet further. Meanwhile, competitor Fortescue recently surprised the industry by ordering 475 electric vehicles from Liebherr, including 360 electric dump trucks that are to be operated autonomously.
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