Komatsu gathered members of the company’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance in May at the Komatsu Arizona Proving Grounds (AZPG) complex outside Tucson, Ariz., to share progress and highlight knowledge gained since the EVX (battery-powered haul truck) was showcased at MINExpo 2021, while also learning more about progress toward zero-emissions goals.
Alliance members at the event had the opportunity to directly observe advancements made over the past year related to the performance and sizing of batteries, engage in a discussion on recent progress within the regulatory environment, and learn how Komatsu plans to leverage the company’s trolley system to advance understanding of battery truck performance in a dynamic charging environment.
Specifically, alliance members saw the upgraded EVX (battery) truck running a circuit on battery, static charging of the battery with the truck hooked up to the trolley line via pantograph, and a run up the trolley line highlighting the battery being charged and increased speed in the dynamic environment.
The GHG Alliance was created to bring together mining industry leaders to work toward a shared goal of delivering zero-emissions equipment solutions. Alliance members have since been working to advance Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including diesel engine, battery and even hydrogen fuel cells with both static and dynamic charging capabilities.
Since the alliance was formed, membership has steadily grown and now includes the following companies: Antofagasta Minerals; BHP; Boliden; Codelco; Freeport-McMoRan; Grupo Mexico; Kinross; Rio Tinto; and Teck.
“Last week, our alliance members were able to experience the substantive continuation of a journey that was started at MINExpo 2021 as we have advanced our understanding and development of this critical technology,” said electric drive trucks product director Pat Singleton.
“The past year has been filled with collaborative efforts between alliance members, technology partners and other industry stakeholders dedicated to achieving our common goals of delivering zero-emissions solutions to the mining industry”.”
Komatsu has committed to minimizing environmental impact business-wide, targeting a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from use of its products and production of its equipment by 2030 (compared to 2010 levels) and a challenge target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Source: Komatsu.com