In the winter of 2021, Volvo Trucks, ABB and Vattenfall, in collaboration with the mining company Kaunis Iron and Wist Last & Buss, conducted a trial to test the limits of what is possible in terms of replacing the normal diesel-driven transport of finely ground iron ore concentrate from the iron ore mine in Kaunisvaara to the transshipment station at the Iron Ore Railway Line, with electric trucks.
The test started in February 2021 and ran for four weeks. The task was to drive a fully battery-powered Volvo FMX from the home base in Junosuando to the mine in Kaunisvaara and then unload the cargo in Pitkäjärvi where the ore was transferred to the railway for further transport to the Narvik harbour in Norway. This is a 280 km round trip that is normally operated by diesel-powered vehicles.
The truck gross weight was 32 t including 15 t load. The driveline was fully electric with two gears and 400 kW of power from a lithium ion battery with a nominal capacity of 264 kWh. ABB delivered three high-powered chargers of 175 kW/each. The chargers are expandable to 350 kW and have CCS outlet sockets.
Vattenfall participated through its service solution Power-as-a-Service, which included installation, operation and ensuring the function of the charging stations. Vattenfall was also the electricity supplier in the project.
Lino Martino, one of the truck drivers who drove the electric vehicle in the polar winter stated: “I must say it exceeded expectations. The test proved it works with electricity. Even if the charging stops were a drawback, we were able to drive the whole distance, including 140 km with 14 t of ore concentrate in the tipper, from the mine to the transshipment station, and then back again. And, on top, the cold that we get up here in winter. At most it dropped to -32 degrees. Then it gets cold, despite the snowmobile suit I wear. The electric truck is in many ways similar to the one I normally drive, same type of cab and so on, just even easier to drive, it’s just one button for forward and reverse. And this truck is so quiet, you can’t hear the engine. Not even when it’s straining, only the tyres can be heard. And the vibrations are also much less than with a diesel. All in all, it’s a much more pleasant place to work.”
Undoubtedly, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. One of which is the range. The truck’s battery capacity sets the limit, and in this case it was necessary to take a break to charge the truck both at the mine and at the transshipment station to avoid the risk of stopping on the road.
Although the trial period is now over, Vattenfall says Martino is certain: electrified transport will take over, sooner or later. “Work is already underway on better batteries and more powerful charging. Up here, the cold is a problem, but there are other technical solutions, for example, overhead lines could be one way forward. And for on-site transports with only short distances, electric power would work perfectly. If we are to realise a fossil-free society, we need electric transport. I’m convinced that the technology will develop in the near future. That’s definitely how things are going,” he says.
