Due to concerns about maintaining productivity using all battery powered large mining trucks, in particular relating to charging strategy and energy management, there is a lot of attention towards development of hybrid solutions, as evidenced by POC testing being carried out by First Mode at its proving grounds in the US for its Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) retrofit solution.
In China, XCMG’s collaborative project with CRRC, Weichai, CATL & Hunan University on the 240 t class XDE240H truck now running at the Xiwan mine. Also in China, Eacon Mining has deployed hundreds of its hybrid 90 t EL100 autonomous trucks, which were developed with LGMG, to TBEA’s South Pit coal mine in China.
One of China’s other big hitters in mining and construction equipment is SANY – which has had its 136 t class SET150S hybrid mining truck running for some time now at sites in Russia, China and Uzbekistan; plus has now developed a larger follow up model, the 220 t class SET240S at its mining truck development and manufacturing facility in Shenyang. The battery supplier for these trucks is the same as for some of the Eacon Mining EL100 trucks – namely RiseSun MGL based in Beijing, sometimes called Rongsheng Menguli.
Both trucks have electric wheel motors powered by hybrid diesel engine and battery power. Interestingly SANY has opted for a multi-engine approach where smaller engines replace high-power engines, it says reducing overhaul costs by half and maintenance costs by 20%. It adds that they also have dual braking with a high-power electric brake plus hydraulic brake for superior braking performance.
The SET150S has two 565 kW Weichai WP17 engines and a 300 kW battery pack for a gross power of 1,430 kW. The SET240S has three 565 kW Weichai WP17 engines plus a 396 kW battery pack for a gross power of 2,091 kW. Volvo engines are available as an option. Through electric turbine control technology and energy flow management, SANY says the engines can supply different power levels to work reliably under different working conditions. SANY says this will overcome the pain points of traditional mining trucks, such as high fuel consumption, high noise, and emissions, while greatly improving their energy efficiency and reliability.
RiseSun MGL stated in 2023 on the SET240S: “The battery box has been verified by heavy-duty mining trucks under actual road conditions, and the product is safe and reliable. With the three-engine system, the maximum power of the vehicle can reach 2,091 kW, which is 12% higher than similar products on the market. It has fast heavy-load climbing speed and high transportation capacity; the battery has built-in PTC heating and an insulation layer, which can meet the ambient temperatures of -35 to +55℃ for normal operation. It has strong environmental adaptability, ensuring efficient operation of mining trucks under extreme working conditions such as extreme cold, high heat, high humidity, and high altitude. The SET240S mine car is not only powerful, but also has excellent braking performance. It is equipped with a dual braking system of high-power electric braking and hydraulic braking, which ensures the efficiency and safety of the vehicle during transportation work in the mine.”
SANY launched the SET240S at its factory in Shenyang and carried out an acceptance review on June 8, 2023 with attendees including Qi Jian, Chairman of SANY Heavy Equipment, Qu Xiaofei, General Manager of SANY Heavy Equipment, and Huang Xianhui, President of SANY Heavy Equipment Mining Truck Research Institute. SANY says the SET240S total power exceeds competitor mining trucks of the same tonnage class by 12%. The heavy load climbing speed is fast, and the comprehensive transportation capacity is cited to be increased by more than 10%.
“The SET240S electric wheel mining truck is an industry-leading three-engine hybrid off-highway mining dump truck. Compared with traditional electric wheel mining trucks, it saves more than 15% of energy and reduces maintenance costs by more than 50%, which can create greater benefits for customers…it took one year from the investment in R&D efforts to the completion of the vehicle off the production line. It is currently a main model independently developed and produced by SANY Heavy Equipment, which can meet the use needs of various working conditions in open-pit mines,” said SANY’s Zhou Xu, a Deputy Director of the company’s Research Institute.
