If you feel overwhelmed sometimes with your project, it might help to look at a really challenging project for inspiration.
The conversion of mining haul truck provides this inspiration.
What the Swiss electrification specialist ABB and Turkey’s Nuh Cement achieved is quite impressive. As a world first in terms of vehicle size and class they finished the conversion of a cement haul truck from diesel to electric.
The retrofit to electric propulsion will save approximately 100,000 litres of fuel and prevent 245 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
ABB’s contribution to the project included the overall system engineering, a traction battery, an air-cooled traction motor, vehicle control electronics, a battery thermal management system, and a DC Fast charger.
In the cement mine near Istanbul the trucks travel downhill, fully loaded, on an average ramp gradient of between 18-20%. Regenerative braking enables the truck to recharge its battery as it descends, and once unloaded, ascend to the top of the mine using only previously regenerated electric power.
The project revitalizes a vehicle that was approaching the end of its 30-year operational lifespan. So it need not be scrapped and replaced, which would involve disposing of several tons of material and purchasing a new vehicle at the cost of several million dollars.
Watch the video here.
