To help China’s mining industry achieve meaningful carbon reduction as part of a green mining energy revolution, in March 2022, leading Chinese mining truck OEM Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock Co Ltd has signed a cooperation agreement with Inner Mongolia Electric Investment Energy Co Ltd to jointly develop a 136 t (150 short ton) class hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery hybrid mining dump truck, the NTH150, with additional plans to establish a comprehensive application demonstration mine including the hydrogen energy mining truck, plus hydrogen storage, transportation, and fuelling.
The FCEV truck will weigh 115 t and carry a load of 136 t. The truck will be mainly powered by proton exchange membrane fuel cells, and will be equipped with a 70 MPa high-pressure large capacity on-board hydrogen storage system to help ensure that the vehicle has long-term endurance. The model will produce zero emissions, and when compared with the same tonnage diesel powered mining vehicles, will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1,815 t, equivalent to about 600 passenger car emissions. The truck will also use a Wabtec integrated AC electric drive system for 150 ton class trucks.
NHL says the NTH150 will be the world’s first 136 t class hydrogen-powered mining truck, and is a response to national strategic objectives, with high economic, social and ecological benefits. At present, it says the project is progressing smoothly – the design project has been completed, been through an expert review process, the prototype is being tested and prototype delivery is expected to be completed by December 2022. A smaller FCEV model, the NHT35 with a 35 short ton payload, is also under development. NHL told IM that it started with the larger model as a response to the market demand, adding: “We have the ability to build a range of FCEV truck sizes. We talked to the end users and checked what were their requirements, and from that confirmed our first model with hydrogen power. Besides that, the most important thing is not just if we can build it, but if the hydrogen power trucks have better performance in terms of economy and environmental sustainability.”
In addition to the FCEV mining trucks, NHL has completed development of the all electric battery powered 50 short ton (45 t) TR50E of which some 43 units will have been built by end 2022, all for major Chinese cement company and limestone miner Conch Group. Conch is phasing in the TR50E in place of its existing TR50 diesel fleet. The TR50E NHL says demonstrates efficiency and low cost in operation, and therefore comprehensively reduces the operating costs of mining users. The 50 ton truck took less than six months to design, take through trial production and complete the first customer unit. Both the NTH trucks and the TR50E use lithium iron phosphate power battery cells from CATL.
The Conch trucks are using fixed charging stations, with the trucks charged for one hour around noon between shifts, and then stay at the charging station at night. This approach allows the truck to run to the requirements of the site. NHL says it can also provide a battery swapping station, but is currently a more costly option than the charging station. Ongoing projects are also looking at larger battery models – the 65 short ton TR65E and 100 short ton TR100E.
