Building a battery electric powertrain for mining

Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), UK, and Fortescue Metals Group, Australia, today announced an agreement to design, build, test and integrate a battery system to power an electric mining haul truck.

The project will involve the design and construction of a battery electric powertrain with the ability to regenerate power as the truck travels downhill.

The battery will be built at WAE’s facility in Oxfordshire, UK, before being shipped to Perth, Australia, for integration into a 240-tonne prototype haul truck for performance testing at Fortescue’s mining operations in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

To support the full implementation of a battery-electric haulage fleet, the project will also involve the development of a fast charging unit which will harness renewable energy from Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect network.

Elizabeth Gaines, Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue, says the project is part of the company’s commitment to achieving net zero operational emissions by 2040.

“This includes a 26% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from existing operations from 2020 levels by 2030. With around a quarter of these emissions attributed to our mobile haul fleet, this represents a significant opportunity to drive our pathway to being diesel free.”