ABB and EPCA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the pair team up to develop and deploy full battery electric retrofit solutions for mid-sized mining haul trucks.
Jointly the companies will look to create retrofit solutions for conventionally powered trucks with 100-180 ton (91-163 tonnes) payloads.
As part of the agreement, ABB will supply key electrification hardware, including electric motors, drives, batteries, thermal management systems and charging infrastructure. The Switzerland-based company will also offer engineering support in the form of simulation, documentation and standard compliance support. On top of this, the company will provide remote monitoring, diagnostic and predictive maintenance solutions to optimise the cost of the retrofit solution.
For its part, Australia-based EPCA will provide engineering design, mechanical integration, testing and commissioning of the solution. It will deploy site-based engineering teams for technology implementation and customer support, plus engage both mining operators and indigenous businesses as part of the MoU.
The overarching aim is to prepare models to demonstrate fuel savings, reduced maintenance and operating costs, plus regulatory compliance benefits.
The companies said: “The collaboration will combine ABB’s global expertise in electrification and EPCA’s local integration and site execution capabilities to deliver solutions tailored to mining customers’ operational and financial requirements.”
EPCA has already retrofitted a 100-ton payload battery-electric mining truck in the form of its E-777D, a vehicle leveraging a CAT 777D chassis. This machine combines proven mining design with a powerful zero-emission electric drivetrain, with EPCA stating that it can run for 12 hours using opportunity charging during operator breaks; can be fast charged in 30 minutes; and offers 46% more power than its diesel counterpart.
ABB has also been involved in battery-electric retrofits, including the retrofit conversion of a Nuh Cement-owned diesel-fuelled Euclid R85B haul truck into a fully electric, zero-emission vehicle.
Pictured from left to right: Reza Taheri, Senior Sales Engineer, Traction, ABB; Ali Parvizi, local Division Manager, Traction, ABB; Clayton Franklin, founder and CEO, EPCA; and Pradip Savaliya, Product Manager, Traction, ABB
