{"id":76116,"date":"2024-08-24T19:55:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T23:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76116"},"modified":"2024-08-24T19:55:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-24T23:55:35","slug":"epca-plans-to-convert-50-70-mining-trucks-to-electric-power-annually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76116","title":{"rendered":"EPCA plans to convert 50-70 mining trucks to electric power annually"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\"EPCA<\/figure>\n

Located in Perth, Western Australia, EPCA became famous for its \u201cGreen Machine,\u201d a CAT 777 100-ton haul truck it converted to electric power. Now, the company says it has plans to produce 50-70 more of the battery electric mining trucks \u2026 each year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After showcasing its Green Machine at two major mining events in Australia<\/a> recently, EPCA (an acronym that stands for Electric Power Conversion Australia) a recent case study commissioned by one of the company\u2019s key suppliers says it has plans to produce 50-70 of its 100-ton battery electric mining trucks annually.<\/p>\n

There might be demand, too. Switching the CAT from diesel to battery electric power boosts the haul truck\u2019s horsepower from 1,000 hp to 1,120 hp, and bumps torque from 4,700 Nm (3,400 lb ft) to 5,200 Nm (3,835 lb ft), and that torque increase comes at 0 rpm.<\/p>\n

The electrons powering those motors are provided courtesy of six 290 kWh Xerotech batteries running in parallel. The combined battery pack is good for some 1740 kWh of energy storage,\u00a0which makes it one of the biggest vehicle batteries we\u2019ve ever heard of<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For their part, the EPCA team seem pretty proud of their new truck. Clayton Franklin, Chief Engineer and Founder of EPCA, said, \u201cWe\u2019ve now got the world\u2019s highest energy density, full battery-electric mining truck \u2026 our mining clients here in Australia are ecstatic that this truck is being built and manufactured right here in Western Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 5,500 mining trucks currently operating in Australia (and more than 55,000 operating globally<\/a>), finding buyers for 50-70 trucks per year seems pretty doable. The only question now is whether EPCA \u2013\u00a0or, more accurately, Xerotech \u2013\u00a0can get them built.<\/p>\n

Electrek\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n
\"\"
EPCA Green Machine, with dump body by Austin Engineering; via Austin Engineering<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we discussed in our special mining episode of\u00a0Quick Charge<\/a><\/em>, mines are great applications for battery-electric vehicles, and massive electric vehicles like this one from EPCA and similar models from Caterpillar<\/a> and Liebherr<\/a> are filling out the market nicely. That said, I think I made these points well enough there to repost the video, below, and argue out the details in the comments. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Quick Charge mining episode<\/h2>\n
\n

\n