The benefits of fast charging don’t stop there, however. eMine™ FastCharge is digitally connected to the wider ABB Ability™ process control and operation management ecosystem, giving operators the option to monitor and supervise all the charging stations that are distributed across a mining site.
In this way, mines can schedule charging events based on different parameters, such as energy or power supply capabilities, vehicle availability, and peaks and troughs in energy supply from the grid.
At present, around 70% of mines are electrified. Electrifying the final 30% by incorporating battery electric vehicles is still in its infancy, but the advantages of switching from diesel to electric power are already well-documented. ABB Ability™ eMine Trolley system, for example, can reduce diesel consumption by as much as 90%, leading to both reduced energy costs and environmental impact, while electrified trucks are able to run at a higher speed and provide better speed-on-grade.
We have spent the past almost two-years with the development of eMine™ FastCharge, which will be a flagship part of the new eMine™ portfolio of electrification technologies that are integrated with digital applications and services to monitor and optimize energy usage. Innovations such as these represent an exciting milestone on the journey to making the all-electric mines of the future a reality from pit to port.