Hitachi Complete Test of Full Battery Rigid Dump Truck

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. has completed the test machine version of an engineless, full battery rigid frame dump truck and on January 20, 2024, the test machine was shipped to the Kansanshi copper and gold mine operated by First Quantum Minerals Ltd. in the Republic of Zambia.

There is growing interest in the electrification of mining machinery as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the high customer demand for the electrification of dump trucks in particular, Hitachi Construction Machinery began collaborating with ABB Ltd. in June 2021 to develop the full battery dump truck. On March 1, 2023, Hitachi Construction Machinery signed a letter of intent with First Quantum to establish a zero-emission partnership, and the companies plan to conduct technological feasibility trials using the full battery dump truck test machine at First Quantum's Kansanshi copper and gold mine.

Hitachi Construction Machinery tested the basic operations of the full battery dump truck test machine by gradually combining the battery charging and discharging system, pantograph, and other power supply systems with the drive system that controls the travel of the dump truck. The technological feasibility trials, which are set to begin in mid-2024, aim to verify the basic performance of operations required of a dump truck, such as traveling, turning, and stopping under actual operating loads, as well as the battery charging and discharging cycles.

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