{"id":82708,"date":"2025-06-01T17:33:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T21:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82708"},"modified":"2025-06-01T17:33:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T21:33:42","slug":"240-ton-hitachi-abb-electric-haul-truck-is-revolutionizing-japanese-mining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82708","title":{"rendered":"240 ton Hitachi, ABB electric haul truck is revolutionizing Japanese mining"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\"How<\/figure>\n

With global demand for battery minerals continuing to rise, tech giants ABB<\/a>, Hitachi, Komatsu<\/a>, and Sumitomo are working together, developing a clever tech strategy that\u2019s slashed emissions across Japanese mining operations.<\/p>\n

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The collaboration between Hitachi Construction Machinery<\/a> and ABB Traction to build a massive, fully electric 240 ton haul truck for extreme duty mining operations reached a critical stage last year, with the completion of their first prototype in February<\/a>. Over the last year, Komatsu and Sumitomo have signed on as well<\/a>, and the new haul trucks are doing their thing at the Kansanshi copper-gold mine in Zambia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are delighted to see our collaboration with Hitachi Construction Machinery reaching this crucial step,\u201d Fabiana Cavalcante, Head of Mobile e-Power, ABB Traction, explained last year<\/a>. \u201cThe project is not only helping to tackle the issues involved in dump truck electrification but is also contributing to enabling a low-carbon world through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We look forward to seeing the prototype prove its capability in the Zambian copper-gold mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deployment at Kansanshi marks the first OEM-led pilot program of this type<\/a> of electric vehicle in real-world mining conditions.<\/p>\n

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And, as for what type of electric vehicle is \u201cthis\u201d type of electric vehicle \u2013\u00a0that was a big topic of conversation at The Electric Mine Conference in Chile last week<\/a>, where ABB, Hitachi, Komatsu, and Sumitomo discussed not just Hitach\u2019s electrification of FQM\u2019s heavy haul trucks, but also the \u201ctrolley-style\u201d overhead charging system that enables the trucks to operate around the clock, without the need to stop for charging.<\/p>\n

On level ground, the truck\u2019s electric powertrain draws power from its high-capacity battery. During power-intensive uphill climbs, the truck connects to the overhead wires and draws additional power, minimizing the demands on the battery. On downhill runs, the trucks recharge with regenerative braking.<\/p>\n

The mine\u2019s clever three-part system greatly reduces (if not outright eliminates) any downtime associated with charging, and enables the truck to operate almost continuously.<\/p>\n

Electrek\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n\n
\"HITACHI
Hitachi Construction Machinery prototype electric dump truck; via ABB Traction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The International Energy Agency<\/a> (IEA, a Paris-based, 31 nation organization established in 1974 that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector)\u00a0projects that mineral demand from EVs will\u00a0see 30x growth between 2020 and 2040<\/a>, with demand for lithium and nickel growing 40x as demand for diesel is dropping faster than most people predicted,\u00a0reaching a 26-year low last summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The IEA\u2019s projections take several battery development scenarios into consideration<\/a>,\u00a0and include increasingly familiar terms like utility-scale battery energy storage<\/a>. All of which is to say: we\u2019re gonna be mining a whole lot more, for a whole lot longer \u2013\u00a0and decarbonizing those operations is critical to doing all this properly.<\/p>\n

The current plan is to convert Hitachi\u2019s fleet<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a02500 HP<\/a>\u00a0EH4000\u00a0240-ton<\/a>\u00a0diesel mining trucks to electric driveYou can learn more about the ABB eMine process in the company\u2019s conceptual (read: it\u2019s all CGI) launch video from last year, below, then let us know what you think of the group\u2019s collaboration in the comments.<\/p>\n

Hitachi haul trucks + ABB eMine<\/h2>\n\n
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