The first fully electric mining dump truck in New Zealand is now up and running at Blackhead Quarries Logan Point Quarry in Dunedin. This site extracts and crushes rock near the summit and carts down to stock piles closer to the road. The cart is 1.7km with a vertical drop of 150m for around a 9% average slope. Running uphill empty the truck uses 5% of the battery capacity. In early trials the battery regeneration achieved running downhill with a 30 tonne load, is closer to 6% of battery capacity. Not quite perpetual motion but a great result so far. On flatter carts and other duties around the quarry the regeneration is less. Overall the truck will still need charging.
The truck running uphill empty using 210kW, at a speed of 20km/h
The truck descending loaded regenerating 176kW, at a speed of 12km/h
Etrucks can now offer the 8×4 E700 in right hand drive and on road compliant in New Zealand. With over 1000 now in service the E700 is the most successful fully electric, heavy truck in the world. Initially the E700 will be offered as either a cab chassis or heavy tipper in New Zealand.
Large battery banks such as the 363kWh on the E700 require good size chargers. We can now source these 240kW twin gun DC fast chargers which charge the E700 in under two hours.
I was back at the factory last week for final testing of the electric mining dump truck for the South Island. An upgraded seat and new dash were the final changes.
A short video of the truck running at the factory.
XCMG have released their first “ultra light” tractor. The G7 ULT, 6×4 tractor has a 460hp diesel engine and a GVM of 49 tonne. The tare is 7.9 tonne, comfortably the lowest from China, and less than most from Japan.(pic: Etrucks XCMG E700 6×4 tractor.jpg)
