Fortescue CEO test drives 150 ton haul truck [video]

Industrial mining giants Fortescue have been leading the charge towards electrifying every aspect of their operations – and last week, the company’s CEO took some time to actually get out and test drive some of the company’s newest battery-powered heavy machines.

Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto proved he has one of the most fun jobs in the world last week when he took the time to test drive some of the company’s new, ultra class machinery before making its way to Fortescue’s Australian operations in The Pilbara.

Otranto posted a video of his test drive experience on his LinkedIn page, which I’ve embedded for your education and amusement, below:

Fortescue has been testing a number of battery-electric prototypes and pilots of the massive electric equipment it will eventually use to replace its existing diesel fleet as it seeks to phase out the burning of fossil fuels at all of its global mining operations – and its mines in The Pilbara, in particular – by 2030.

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“We’re moving rapidly to decarbonize our Pilbara iron ore operations and eliminate our Scope 1 and 2 terrestrial emissions by 2030. To achieve this target, we will need to swap out hundreds of pieces of diesel mining equipment at the end of their life with zero emissions alternatives,” explains Otranto. “As the global mining industry continues to evolve, we’re proud to be at the forefront of driving innovation in value adding green technology and showing the world that industry can decarbonize.”

Some of the machines we’ve covered so far include an electric retrofit of a massive Liebherr R 9400 excavator, a 230 ton haul truck capable of lightning-like 6 MW charging speeds, an electric locomotive, and a host of other equipment options that the company believes will eventually help it displace more than $400 million in diesel fuel and eliminate many thousands of tons of harmful carbon emissions and air pollution each year.

Electrek’s Take

240-ton Liebherr T264E; by Fortescue.

With billions of dollars on the line and pressure to reduce carbon emissions coming from all sides, it should come as no surprise that the race is on to bring practical, electric, and autonomous heavy mining equipment to market. At CES 2024, electric equipment from Hyundai, Bobcat, Volvo CE, and Caterpillar garnered lots of attention with their innovative concepts, and analysts like IDTechEx estimate that a single 150-ton haul truck can use over $850,000 worth of fuel in a single year.

Meanwhile, big electric haul trucks like this 240 ton unit from Caterpillar can, in certain use cases with high amounts of regenerative braking, operate without any significant cost to recharge. At that point, the reduced maintenance and downtime of BEVs compared to diesel vehicles becomes icing on the TCO cake.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Dino Otranto, via LinkedIn.

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