How best to integrate battery electric vehicles in mines

Why does ABB believe that electrification is a ‘must-have’ for mining companies compared with ‘business as usual’? The industry is responsible for 4–7% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The onus is on operators to reduce their carbon footprint to comply with increasingly strict government environmental legislation in line with the goals enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Failure to do can result in financial penalties, the loss of competitive advantage, and reputational damage, and may also impact a company’s licence to operate. Mining operators that remain behind the curve when it comes to HSE and sustainability risk losing the backing of the board and investors, may not be permitted to work in certain jurisdictions, and could even lose their licence to operate.

In certain countries carbon taxes must already be factored into OPEX calculations as governments and industry make a compelling business case for electric mines. This shift is more advanced in underground mines, where the electrification of truck fleets has become reality and solutions such as ventilation on demand (VoD) are established innovations significantly reducing energy consumption as well as providing a safer, more amenable working environment.

The industry is part of the problem of climate change. However, by providing commodities such as copper used in wind turbines and lithium for the batteries in electric vehicles – both of which have a pivotal role to play in the global transition from fossil fuels to renewables – in a way that minimizes energy usage, resource consumption and CO₂ footprint, mining is also part of the solution. 

ABB’s electrical, control and instrumentation (EC&I) business has for almost half a century lead the way in mine electrification. By leveraging the technology within its portfolio and incorporating that with the latest innovations in mine engineering and design, ABB is helping to create fit-for-purpose solutions that minimize CO₂, improve safety and, ultimately, boost profitability.

ABB’s approach is built around three pillars: electrification; automation and digitalization; and being the key technical supplier (KTS) in partnership with other OEMs. What are the design requirements of electrified mines? Do they require centralized or decentralized storage systems? What are the optimum grid solutions and how can they incorporate the flexible loading of mobile equipment and integration of renewables?

The first step on this journey is to develop existing equipment and components so they are digitally enabled, and then connect them in a smart way with the flexibility to cope with supply and demand.

Open communication standards and multi-vendor integration are key to effective automation and digitalization. This means developing a single automation platform that can communicate with all the different mine assets, mobile and fixed, as opposed to a standalone architecture for each individual system. In addition, real time data acquisition and visualization allows the operator to make smart decisions and data analysis using advanced algorithms allows them to assess the state of the mine operation.

How can we embed these new technologies effectively? By putting in the third pillar, alliances of key technical suppliers and OEMs, each with their own domain expertise, to jointly develop solutions that benefit the customer, rather than one party being responsible for the whole project scope.

This is increasingly becoming the working model of choice for electrification projects, particularly when it comes to integrating a mobile fleet. At the Aitik copper mine in Sweden, for example, ABB successfully collaborated with a vehicle supplier (a third-party OEM) – which traditionally wouldn’t have worked together – to install a trolley assist line for hybrid trucks.

ABB recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hitachi Construction Machinery to explore opportunities to apply ABB’s electrification, automation and digital solutions to mining trucks and excavators provided by Hitachi. 

Together, the two companies hope to present a combined solution to the market that will help mining customers achieve net-zero emissions from their operations. 

ABB is also working with other OEMs to create a platform for early-stage collaboration; for example, to explore the potential of incorporating batteries into the trolley assist mix at open-pit mines.

ABB is also collaborating on electrification retrofit projects, including converting a diesel-powered Western Star 4900 XD truck with MEDATech Engineering and Tardif.