In June 2021, the world’s first 120 ton electric mining dump truck with AC drive equipped with CATL batteries successfully rolled off the production line at Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd (XEMC) and was successfully put into trial operation at SPIC’s Huolinhe coal mine where as of March 2022, it had run over 1,700 hours. The truck is equipped with CATL’s large-capacity, ultra-safe lithium iron phosphate traction batteries, which it says can meet the demand for high-power charging thanks to high-voltage, fast-charging technology.
Featuring high energy density, the batteries with unique cell-to-pack (CTP) technology can work continuously for eight hours after being fully charged. The smart BMS can monitor the battery’s health status 24/7, and accurately predict the charging state. The smart thermal management system can ensure that the battery can work efficiently between -30℃ and 60℃ to enable electric mining dump trucks to operate under all weather conditions.
XEMC all electric AC drive mining truck operating at Huolinhe uses CATL lithium iron phosphate battery power
CATL stated: “Selected raw materials and their sophisticated design supported by multi-level protection, an automatic manufacturing process and comprehensive testing and verification make CATL’s traction batteries safe and reliable. Electric mining dump trucks usually work under complex conditions involving a lot of dirt and dust. Therefore, the batteries must meet high requirements in order to remain dustproof and perform well. The traction batteries manufactured by CATL have obtained an IP68 rating, the highest in the industry, which shows they are protected against erosion and dust in a mining environment, enabling them to operate in a stable manner under complex conditions.”
Compared with 100-ton diesel powered mining trucks, the 120-ton electric mining dump truck reduces carbon emissions by 1,500 tons for each vehicle per year. The energy cost is thus reduced by 50% and the overall maintenance cost is reduced by 20%. In addition, the truck makes little noise and is comfortable to operate. IM caught up with CATL recently in an exclusive interview to find out more about its role in mining’s zero emissions journey.
Q Is the mining vehicle market a major focus market for CATL going forward?
We have outlined our development directions in three major areas: The first one is to replace the stationary fossil fuel energy leveraging renewable energy generation + energy storage; the second one is to replace the mobile fossil fuel energy using EV battery; the third one is to promote the integration innovation of market applications leveraging electrification + intelligentisation such as unmanned mines solution, electric boats, battery swap solution etc. Yes the electrification and intelligentisation of mining vehicles is one of CATL’s major market focus areas.
Q What are the unique challenges in applying battery power to large mining vehicles?
Unlike applications of passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, the mining application of traction batteries is faced with unique challenges including recharging. Uphill driving of heavy-duty mining vehicles requires high energy consumption and subsequently multiple rounds of battery charging. We see battery swapping is an effective solution to address this challenge. The vibration and shock caused by the rough and bumpy grounds can be two to three times stronger than those on the roads, and collision and overturning might happen in mining areas, which requires higher damage resistance of large-capacity battery systems and higher level of safety after thermal propagation is caused by destruction. A large amount of road and working condition data are integrated into CATL’s unique heavy-duty truck pack design standard to ensure a stable operation of vehicles in complex environments. Trucks are often faced with harsh conditions of dust, mud water and sometimes extreme temperatures, which requires a high level of Ingress Protection rating. The built-in heating film and water cooling system of CATL’s batteries can effectively adapt to harsh mining environments and ensure worry-free operation. The battery protection level reaches IP68, which effectively eliminates dust and water in a working environment.
Q What progress with heavy truck battery swapping have you made to date?
In February 2022, CATL and SANY Group celebrated the operation of the Fujian battery swapping demonstration project for heavy-duty trucks and China’s first road for electric heavy-duty trucks. The electric heavy-duty trucks launched on the road are all installed with CATL’s large-capacity LFP batteries, which can not only achieve net-zero emissions and zero pollution, but also meet high-power fast charging and rapid battery swapping within 3-5 minutes, relieving anxiety in terms of charging time and range, and has greatly improved the efficiency of vehicle operation. The swapping approach also has potential in mining.
Q Quite a lot of 50/60/70 t “wide body” trucks have already been made with battery power from companies like Sany, Tonly, LGMG. What has been learned from these trucks on what is the right battery chemistry and right charging strategy for mining trucks?
Almost all the wide body mining trucks of the above-mentioned manufacturers are equipped with LFP batteries produced by CATL. We believe LFP is the right battery chemistry considering the complicated working conditions in mining such as collision, jolting, and extreme temperatures. As for charging strategy, we suggest a discharging range of 30% to 95% for the sake of battery health. Meanwhile, we will help our customers to build a battery charging and swapping dispatch system, which enables the integration and coordination of shift rotation, driver dining, maintenance and production.
Q Is there also a large market for hybrid battery-fuel cell trucks in mining or do you think all battery trucks will dominate?
We believe pure electric is the ideal solution to mining vehicles. First of all, we are confident in our battery technological strengths and extensive application experience of these technologies, and new breakthroughs are achieved almost every day in the industry; second, the control logic and mechanical structure of pure electric trucks is simpler than those of hybrid ones, which means lower failure rate and easier maintenance.
Q Major mining truck makers are at different stages of battery development; can you give any examples of projects where CATL is already involved in supplying batteries for these? Is the XEMC truck the largest built so far?
We have established cooperation with major manufacturers and users of mining trucks at home and abroad. The 120 t XEMC unit is the largest mining truck built so far, but we are developing trucks of larger tonnage together with several companies.
Q Will you also supply charging infrastructure and technology for mining vehicles?
Users of mining vehicles are most concerned about the operational efficiency issues caused by slow charging, charging difficulties, range anxiety, etc. The current charging mode cannot fully solve the user pain points, and therefore the battery swapping mode was created. Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd (CAES), CATL’s wholly-owned subsidiary, provides battery swapping solutions including infrastructure and technologies to the EV industry.
Q Do you expect the market to be largest in the supply of replacement/retrofit batteries for mining trucks or for new trucks?
We believe the batteries for new trucks will be a larger market compared to retrofit ones. First, the new trucks are developed based on electric power system, which ensures a higher product reliability for customers. Second, the battery replacement/retrofit of the existing mining trucks is not cost-effective since most of these vehicles have a short life span and low cost.
Q How do you intend to help build your mining truck battery business going forward?
We have built a complete industry ecosystem of mining truck electrification ranging from solar power storage systems, battery charging and swapping technologies, intelligent mining services, autonomous driving, battery recycling and business model innovation so as to provide worry-free products and services for our customers.
Q Is there also a large mining market for batteries in underground applications and what progress has been made there?
As the world moves from commitment to action on carbon neutrality, there will be increasing market demand for electrification in various fields. We believe there is a large market for batteries in underground applications, and we will continue to enhance our technological capabilities in this field.
