Tag Archives: WAE

Zero emission haul truck developments on the IMARC 2023 agenda

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IMARC 2023 is off to a bang, with two of the first keynote interviews – featuring speakers from Fortescue and BHP – kicking off what is expected to be a constant flurry of mining technology news.

During a Mining Keynote Interview, titled, ‘The Reshaping of the Fortescue Business: A Showcase of the Past, Present and Future of the Mining and Resources’ Industry,’ Dino Otranto (pictured on the right), CEO of Fortescue, talked up the mining company’s ‘Real Zero’ terrestrial emissions (Scope 1 and 2) 2030 aim.

Speaking to Jennifer Hewett (pictured on the left), National Affairs Columnist, The Australian Financial Review, Otranto highlighted the recent arrival of the first 240-t-class Liebherr Mining T 264 trucks at its Eliwana iron ore mining site in the Pilbara of Western Australia, which is expected to be converted to Fortescue’s in-house battery solution developed by WAE in the near term.

Looking further out, Otranto said the company’s first zero emission fleet at Eliwana was expected to be “on parity” with the diesel haulage equivalent from a cost and productivity perspective. “In the future, they could be even more productive,” he added.

Fortescue is currently working on a number of “zero emission” solutions across its mining operations – battery-electric and green hydrogen, among them – and Otranto said the company was confident that the electric powertrain is “the future”, with the system that generates the power to supply this being “agnostic”.

“In the future, we will not be beholden by the OEM and a single product,” he said, explaining that the captive energy source tied to where the resources and reserves were located would play a crucial role in the chosen system.

Soon after Otranto left the stage, Hewett was joined by James Agar, Group Procurement Officer at BHP, for another keynote interview, titled ‘The Importance of Supplier and Community Partnerships to Create Value’.

Agar was quick to pick up from where Otranto left off, referencing the company’s own zero-emission haulage plans, which included the expected rollout of a zero emissions truck at its operations next year. The company has previously signalled that a Cat Early Learner battery truck could come arrive for trials at its operations in 2024.

Alongside this, Agar referenced ongoing work with Bridgestone and Michelin related to battery-electric haul truck developments.

“We have realised that if we reduce the rolling resistance of tyres by 1-2%, it can have a big impact on battery life,” he said. “Equally, these trucks are going to be able to travel at faster speeds, so tyre life will be affected. This is another area we are studying.”

Fortescue kicks off battery-electric truck testing in the Pilbara

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Fortescue Metals Group has started testing a battery-electric truck at its operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia as part of its latest decarbonisation efforts.

Having floated the idea of a battery-electric haul truck some three years ago – and started a physical build process 12 months ago – the company is now testing a battery-electric converted MT4400 AC truck at its Christmas Creek iron ore operations, Fortescue confirmed last week.

WAE and Fortescue Future Industries, part of Fortescue’s newly branded Fortescue Energy division, have been spearheading developments on this truck, referred to as the “Roadrunner” (pictured). The 221-t payload vehicle is fitted with a 1.4 MWh battery from WAE. It has already been run through more than 20 hours of dynamic testing that has included, among other things, downhill recharging scenarios, Fortescue said last week.

The vehicle is thought to be the largest battery-electric haul truck running in Pilbara operating conditions.

The converted MT4400 AC is expected to be joined by a 3 MW charger prototype – developed by WAE and a third party – by the end of the year. “This will help us to understand and develop haul truck duty and charging cycles,” Mark Hutchinson, CEO of Fortescue Future Industries, said in a conference call last week.

In June, Fortescue, through WAE, announced the expansion of its battery and electric powertrain production operations in the UK with an additional state-of-the-art facility in Oxfordshire. The facility, which will open in 2024, will focus on the production of a wide range of zero emission products for the off-road sector, including trucks and trains.

Alongside these battery-electric developments, Fortescue said it will have its first “green hydrogen fuel cell haul truck” on site for similar testing next year. This truck is being delivered through the company’s partnership with Liebherr and will be based off a 240-t-payload T 264 haul truck.

In June 2022, Fortescue announced a partnership with Liebherr for the development and supply of green mining haul trucks for integration with the “zero emissions power system” technologies being developed by FFI and WAE. Under the partnership, Fortescue agreed to purchase a fleet of 120 haul trucks from Liebherr; a commitment that represents approximately 45% of the current haul truck fleet at Fortescue’s operations.

In answer to an analyst question last week, Christiaan Heyning, FFI’s Head of Decarbonisation, said: “We are…putting both battery-electric trucks as well as a fuel cell electric trucks on-site this calendar year to do extended testing to figure out the ramp-up efficiency of both battery-electric and fuel cell. We will use those insights to make the final decisions about what our fleet will be.

“As you appreciate, it’s really dependent on whole routes and, therefore, we need to do more testing before we can make up our mind.”

A 100-day “sprint” FFI project focused on converting a legacy 221-t class Terex Unit Rig MT4400 AC electric drive, diesel-powered haul truck to run on a ‘green’ hydrogen 180 kW fuel cell system and a 300 kW/h battery was previously completed and run at Fortescue’s Hazelmere facility in Western Australia.

WAE to open new facility in Oxfordshire focused on zero-emission, off-road solutions

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Fortescue Future Industries says it is significantly expanding its battery and electric powertrain production operations in the UK with the announcement of an additional state-of-the-art facility in Oxfordshire.

Fortescue Chairman, Andrew Forrest, said the expansion is part of Fortescue’s commitment to grow its British presence through the recent integration of British manufacturers WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering).

“With Fortescue’s investment, British engineering will be at the cutting edge of the green energy economy with WAE’s battery systems providing world leading technology to the entire global industrial sector,” Dr Forrest said.

Following entry-into-force of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, Fortescue will open a new state-of-the-art site in Banbury, Oxfordshire, significantly expanding its UK manufacturing capability, supplying advanced batteries and electric powertrains globally.

The new location will be focused on production of a wide range of zero-emission products for the off-road sector including trucks and trains. It will form part of a new global business aimed at driving decarbonisation in all fields of economic activity, while building sovereign capabilities in emerging technology.

The factory will cover over 13,500 sq.m in total and employ over 120 highly-skilled engineers, technicians, apprentices and graduates, with recruitment for the industrialisation program starting now, FFI said.

The integration follows Fortescue gearing up to meet growing global demand for the development, manufacture and supply of advanced electrification technology solutions to the off-highway sector.

The new Banbury facility will operate alongside Fortescue’s other Oxfordshire facilities including the Kidlington factory, which will open later this year. The Banbury site will be a purpose-built facility focusing primarily on manufacturing of heavy industry, electric/zero-emission powertrain systems. It will offer automated assembly for battery modules and packs, assembly of power conversion and power systems, as well as truck and train production support.

The first prototype build is targeted for July/August 2023 with the first mining haul truck module due for completion in August 2023.

The site will officially open in 2024 and will create job opportunities across all levels, including apprentices and graduates, acting as showcases for a future rollout by WAE of further global high-tech manufacturing hubs.

Williams Advanced Engineering to debut off-highway electrification solutions at Bauma

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Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), now wholly owned by Fortescue Metals Group, will be showcasing a wide range of cutting-edge electrification solutions, all of which will support acceleration of the off-highway sector in its journey to decarbonisation, at next week’s Bauma 2022 event in Munich, Germany.

WAE will be using the event to show its leading advanced battery and energy storage technology, which have been specifically developed for the rugged use cases of mining and other off-highway applications.

Following its acquisition by Fortescue at the start of this year, WAE, already a leader in high performance battery technology developed originally for global motorsport and road car programs, is becoming a leading supplier to the off-highway sector, using its expertise to support Fortescue in its transition to a global green renewables and resources company through the decarbonisation of its worldwide vehicle fleet, it said.

Additionally, WAE is working on a world first, zero emission ‘Infinity Train’; a regenerating battery-electric iron ore train project using gravitational energy to recharge its battery-electric systems without any additional charging requirements for the return trip to reload.

In June 2022, Fortescue announced a partnership with Liebherr, who will be developing and supplying green mining haul trucks (using the T264) in which zero emission power system technologies – developed by Williams Advanced Engineering – will be integrated.

WAE’s technology line-up at Bauma 2022 will include the following off-highway specific innovations:

Off-Highway Battery Module

Featuring a scalable, modular design delivering sub-30 minute pack charge times for maximum performance, WAE’s Off-Highway Battery Module boasts laser-welded cell-to-busbar technology for in service reliability, the company says. It also has a robust alloy frame, which improves durability and extends life in service, as well as optimised cell packaging for maximum energy density.

Battery Management Unit

Unlocking battery performance through best-in-class software architecture, WAE’s Battery Management Unit is designed for pack architectures of less than 800 V. Its advanced state detection algorithms allow for more efficient energy usage, while the unit also reduces equipment down-time by enabling maximised fast charge rates.

Cell Management Unit

Enabling real-time telematics to maximise cell performance, WAE’s Cell Management Unit allows high precision cell voltage and temperature monitoring. Its innovative flexi interconnects enables enhanced durability, while the system’s design also allows manufacturing complexity to be reduced for high volume applications.

DC-DC Converter

With a ruggedised design developed for deployment in off-highway vehicle applications, WAE’s DC-DC Converter is a 600kW 1.5kV – 1kV stepdown converter for high power loads. Its Silicon Carbide technology delivers exceptional efficiency of 98.5%, while full power operation takes place at ambient temperature of 50°C.

Vehicle Control Module

This powerful processing platform unlocks vehicle performance advantages, featuring a versatile vehicle system controller. Specifically designed for decarbonised powertrains it has a flexible heterogenous MPSoC processor.

Graham Belgum, General Manager for Green Fleet, WAE, said: “High performance battery and electrification systems are at the core of what we do. Over the last two decades WAE has garnered unparalleled experience in the development of cutting-edge technology which, increasingly is being applied to the off-highway sector. Now that we are part of the Fortescue family, WAE is central to battery power systems and products capability, supporting the business as it transitions to a clean, green fleet. Our technology has the potential to accelerate the decarbonisation of any off-highway vehicle – and we are delighted to be debuting these at Bauma 2022.”