Under ground mining equipment leading original equipment manufacturers (OEM) have already launched their first battery-powered fleets of LHDs, mine trucks, development and production jumbos, as well as roof bolters that are equipped with battery packages that can be swapped during the shift.
Furthermore, companies like BlueVein are in the process of developing a trolley-based charging system for underground mines, which makes it possible to dynamically charge battery electric mining equipment while it is in motion.
Regarding open-pit mining equipment, battery-powered mine trucks are not yet commercially available on a large scale. However, there are several partnerships between mining companies and third parties developing rapidly rechargeable electric mining trucks.
As an alternative to battery-powered mining vehicles, there are other established technologies that can help to contribute to the decarbonisation of haulage in open pit mining. For instance, the deployment of conveyor belt systems and in-pit crushing and conveying technology (IPCC) constitutes one alternative to shift from fossil fuel to electric energy.
