Performance Evaluation of Alternative Configurations of Battery Electric Mining Haul Trucks

Mining is at the heart of the global decarbonisation push, providing the minerals and metals needed for renewable and sustainable development. Minerals and metals are the foundation of almost all industries, so these goals will remain unattainable without the mining and metals industry’s own decarbonisation journey. Efforts to develop solutions for decarbonising mining operations support the perspective that electrification is a key solution for transitioning the mining fleet and equipment away from fossil fuels. This paper describes three battery electric mining truck configurations: battery-only truck (BOT), battery trolley with stationary charging (BT-S), and battery trolley with dynamic charging (BT-D). For better battery-electric mining truck deployment, this study discusses 1) battery-electric mining truck powertrains based on current industry technologies and readiness; 2) the reasonable battery size design of various applications; 3) performance of various truck models, and; 4) the influence of battery size and truck performance on operations due to dynamic mining haulage routes in surface mines. The study establishes a 3D mining discrete event simulation (DES) scenario and initial and final haulage routes are selected according to conventional mine design and planning. The simulation results show BOT needs the largest battery size while BT-D needs the smallest due to trolley power and dynamic charging. In scenarios of equal cycle times, the BT-S configuration typically demonstrates a lower duty cycle relative to the BOT while BT-D achieves a duty cycle of 100% within a single work shift. The BT-D configuration demonstrates the most favourable energy efficiency and productivity. These research findings will help decision-makers design effective solutions for mining electrification and decarbonisation.