Fortescue has taken delivery of Australia’s first prototype battery system designed for a zero-emission battery electric mining haul truck.
The state-of-the-art, 1.4MWh prototype power system, from WAE Technologies, sets the pace for ground-breaking innovation in heavy industry and is a bespoke design intended for integration into a 240-tonne mining haul truck.
Fortescue is developing a prototype zero-emission battery electric mining haul truck in collaboration with Liebherr.
The battery will be integral to Fortescue’s US$6.2 billion decarbonisation strategy to help eliminate fossil fuels from its terrestrial iron ore operations, which includes replacing its existing diesel-fuelled fleet with battery electric and green hydrogen-powered haul trucks.
A team of 50 engineers and technicians is responsible for developing the pioneering power system, which weighs 15 tonnes, measures 3.6m long, 1.6m wide and 2.4m high, and is made up of eight sub-packs, each with 36 modules, all individually cooled and each with its own battery management system.
Fortescue Future Industries CEO Mark Hutchinson said: “WAE and Fortescue are working together to seek to decarbonise faster and more effectively than any other major industrial company in the world.
“The battery system, designed for our zero-emission battery electric mining haul trucks is an important part of our strategy to reach real zero terrestrial emissions (Scope 1 and 2) across our iron operations by 2030.”
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