The goal of the new ELMAR project, with in place funding of around €11 million from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), is to integrate and demonstrate the use of electric heavy-duty transport machines in Europe’s raw materials extraction industry.

The launch statement adds: “There is no question – a secure supply of mineral raw materials is elementary for the competitiveness and prosperity of Germany and Europe. At the same time, the extraction of raw materials is a significant emitter of CO2 and must therefore transform itself and become more sustainable in order to contribute to the achievement of climate goals and to remain competitive and sustainable. This includes, in particular, the decarbonisation of companies that extract raw materials. In Germany, this affects around 1,600 companies with around 2,700 plants and 23,500 employees in the gravel, sand and natural stone production industry alone.”

Up to now, a significant part of the energy used in the extraction of raw materials in these companies has been used in internal transport, largely mobile diesel-powered (heavy-load) vehicles. Conversion to (battery) electric powered haulage operations is therefore an important lever for reducing emissions. This applies to the conversion of existing operations as well as to future projects.

In the newly launched ELMAR project, a consortium of top-class research and industry partners is looking at how the decarbonisation of domestic raw material extraction can be holistically thought through and implemented. The project involves the integration of autonomous and electric heavy-duty transport machines, the associated adaptation of the necessary infrastructure and the redesign of operational processes. “Furthermore, in this transformation, the coupling and optimisation between the energy demand side and the energy supply side needs to be implemented in a connected, model-based and intelligent operation planning and control system.”

Photo courtesy Martin Braun

“ELMAR lays an important foundation for the integration of electric, automated mobile heavy load transport machines in raw material extraction,” says Dr Tobias Hartmann from the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies at RWTH Aachen University. “While maintaining process reliability in extraction and at the same time ensuring electrical supply security, as well as coupling it to renewable energy sources, we want to demonstrate in representative use cases that electrical transport is possible in domestic raw material extraction. The holistic approach from the production to the energy demand to the energy supply side will enable us to optimise existing and upcoming operational concepts.”

Hartmann additionally gave IM some insight into the project roadmap in an interview. He states: “Initial funding will be spend on the demonstration of autonomous electric vehicles integrated to redesigned, restructured and optimised mining operations, and connected to a cloud-based AI driven, process and energy optimisation system – that makes use of different energy supply and demand models as well as meeting the production needs from the operator.” He says technical aims are focused on CO2 neutrality and energy/process coupling and include:

• Adaptation of mining operations and (electrical) infrastructure
• Electrified and integrated autonomous transportation
• Mining energy model for demand forecasting
• Energy supply model for optimising the coupling of supply and demand
• Coupling of power generation, storage systems, and mine operations for renewable energy integration
• Cloud-based service platform for linking digital twins and process data in AI-based decision/optimisation models
• Airborne collection and digitisation of operational data
• Transformation concept and application of transformation for existing (brownfield) sites
  

He adds: “The idea here is to develop and introduce a new way of transporting material by – amongst other things – the use of a new kind of vehicle, that is smaller, lighter and has a far better load/weight ratio. We are taking into account first that we want to transport material, not machines and not batteries, and that we are aiming for new levels of energy efficiency and the integrated use of renewables in material transport. There is an enormous need for change in mining operations but also enormous potential. This is only possible by introducing new pilot machines. We will retrofit the transport approach at operations not retrofitting batteries into existing machines.”

The consortium is composed of key institutes, namely RWTH Aachen University, the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) and the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA), plus representatives from industry partners. From the industrial side, Volvo Group Trucks Central Europe GmbH, Volvo Construction Equipment Germany GmbH, Volvo Autonomous Solutions AB (commissioned by VCE Germany GmbH) are participating as construction machinery and transport vehicle manufacturers and automation providers.

Mineral Baustoffe GmbH (part of the STRABAG Group), Knauf Gips KG, Nivelsteiner Sandwerke & Sandsteinbrüche GmbH are participating as mine operators, PSI Fuzzy Logik & Neuro Systeme GmbH and PSI Software AG as providers of AI- and cloud-based software and TITUS Research GmbH as developers of autonomous monitoring systems.

The ELMAR project (FKZ 01MV22001) runs from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025 and is funded by BMKW under the funding guideline “Research and development in the field of electromobility” in the 5th funding call “Competition for electrified goods and passenger transport” with around 6 million euros out of a total volume of around 11 million euros.

Volvo Group, TARA and ELMAR

As a part of the project, Volvo Group says it will be implementing a solution that includes electric Volvo trucks and construction equipment and TARA – its electric and autonomous transport solution for hauling. “With ELMAR we have the opportunity to combine Volvo Group’s broad portfolio of solutions to electrify and automate mining sites and make them more sustainable. This is the first known project in raw material extraction, which combines the production processes and resulting infrastructure for an electric fleet with the local production and storage of renewable energy. The switch to electric transport solutions requires a holistic approach and cooperation between the different players responsible for vehicles, infrastructure, energy supply and operations. ELMAR brings together these stakeholders and enables the co-creation commercially viable, sustainable transport solutions,” says Wolfgang Baur, Project Director, Volvo Group Trucks Technology.