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Vale's new fleet of electric trucks replaces diesel with electricity from renewable sources and will be the mining company's big bet in the mining sector, with tests starting in both Brazilian and Indonesian mines.
During this last Thursday, (19/08), the global mining company Vale announced the start of tests of its new fleet of electric trucks powered by electricity from renewable energy at the Água Limpa mines, in Minas Gerais, and Sorowako, Indonesia. The company is now focusing on adopting more sustainable practices in its operations and invests in the energy transition in the mining sector, not only on the national scene.
Vale's new fleet of electric trucks will replace diesel with electricity from renewable sources and tests have started in the company's mines
Aiming at the sustainability segment linked to global mining operations, the mining company Vale announced the beginning of the testing phase with its new fleet of electric trucks in mines in Brazil and Indonesia.
The company is now starting activities with a total of two 72-ton battery-powered off-road trucks, thus seeking increasingly efficient solutions in the segment's ESG practices.
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The electric trucks are the first to be used by a global mining company like Vale and replace diesel with electricity from a renewable energy source, making the supply process 100% clean.
In addition, the mining company's new fleet also features technology that reduces noise, minimizing impacts on the communities that live around the operations. The two new vehicles were produced by XCMG Mining Machinery, a subsidiary of China's largest machinery manufacturer, and mark a new phase of the company's quest to electrify its mine operations.
During 2019, the mining company Vale had already made a series of promises about the future of its global mining operations and stated that it would zero its net carbon emissions scopes 1 and 2 by 2050.
To achieve this goal, the mining company intends to invest up to US$ 6 billion over the next few decades, and the use of a fleet of electric trucks in its mines is another step taken towards its sustainability goal for the previously signed period.
Mining company has been investing in changes in the technology of its electric trucks to provide even more efficiency and quality in use in its mines
The mining market is increasingly in need of state-of-the-art technologies that can provide around 400 kWh to load and drive a truck in the transport cycle, which involves loading, displacement, dumping, return and queue.
In this way, the mining company Vale has been investing in the search for new solutions that allow this efficiency and its new electric trucks are reaching the standard that the company seeks to achieve.
The vehicles have a storage capacity of 525 Kwh, being able to operate up to 36 cycles, just over one day of operation, without the need to stop to recharge. In addition, electrification technology also allows energy regeneration during descent maneuvers, thus making refueling even more effective, in addition to optimizing cargo transport processes.
“We see this partnership with XCMG as another important step in our long-term relationship with China, and towards more sustainable mining”, commented Alexandre Pereira, Executive Vice President of Global Business Solutions at Vale, on the agreement with the company for the production of electric vehicles that are being tested in the mines.
