Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2024 - 24

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
Fortescue said both the battery power
system and the AHS were built to be scalable
so they can be retrofitted onto existing
Liebherr haul trucks. The first diesel
trucks were delivered to Fortescue's
Eliwana mine in October 2023. The initial
240-tonne-capacity trucks will be converted
to battery power before 2030.
However, most of the fleet will be supplied
in battery-electric configuration
from first arrival, the company said.
" We're going to be repowering 107 of
these trucks over the next five years
from diesel engines to batteries, " a
Liebherr spokesperson said at MINExpo.
Components removed from the diesel
trucks include the engine, engine skid,
alternator and radiator, the piping, exhaust
and aftertreatment assemblies, as
well as the air intakes, fuel tanks and
filter assemblies.
Four autonomous trucks are currently
in validation at Fortescue's testing site,
with the first deployment of operational
autonomous trucks expected in Q1
2025. All T 264 trucks are arriving autonomy-ready,
according to Fortescue,
and will be progressively deployed to
autonomous operations across its sites.
Validation of the full autonomous battery-electric
solution is expected to be
complete in early 2026.
In addition to the electric T 264, the
companies will integrate Fortescue Zero's
battery power system into an electric version
of Liebherr's flagship mining dozer,
A robotic charger for the battery-electric haul truck was demonstrated at MINExpo. Up to 6 MW of
static charging capacity through two MCS plugs can charge the current T 264 in 30 minutes.
the PR 776, which is currently in development.
Liebherr will supply Fortescue with
60 electric dozers once ready. Fortescue
said it is boosting its capacity to supply
the hundreds of batteries required for
both the trucks and dozers.
The deal also includes the supply of
55 R 9400 E electric excavators, which
will include a mix of backhoe and face
shovel configurations. Fortescue first
adopted Liebherr's electric excavator
technology in December 2023 and now
has three R 9400 E excavators in operation
across its sites.
Michelin
debuted its
XDR 4 Speed
Energy tires
at MINExpo.
Featured on
Liebherr's
battery-electric
T 264, the tires
are said to run
cooler and with
less resistance
thanks to a
more flexible
tread and
new energysaving
rubber
compound.
24 December 2024
" As the mining solutions we offer
continue to expand, so must our capability
and capacity to deliver and service
these ever-advancing technologies, "
said Michael Arndt, executive vice
president, service and quality, LiebherrMining
Equipment SAS. " In addition to
infrastructure, we are also investing
heavily in our people and remote support
services to be able to support
these new products and technologies. "
Energy-saving tires
The battery-electric T 264 on display at
MINExpo sported Michelin 50/80R57
XDR 4 Speed Energy tires, claimed to
be the first energy-efficient tire for mining
haul trucks. Made with a new energy-saving
rubber compound and featuring
an optimized tread with increased
flexibility, the 50/80R57 XDR 4
Speed Energy tires have reportedly
demonstrated a 3.6% reduction in fuel
consumption in flat conditions when
compared to the Michelin 50/80R57
XDR 250 C tires running on a combustion-engine
truck.
Michelin expects the tires to have a
positive impact on vehicle range for the
battery-operated trucks. The 50/80R57
XDR 4 Speed Energy tire will be commercially
available in 2025.
Ryan Gehm
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: SAE/RYAN GEHM

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2024