Two hundred and ninety tons and 1,000 kWh of storage capacity (13 times the capacity of a Tesla Model 3): this gigantic machine will soon be operating in the platinum mine of Mogalakwena, South Africa. Built by the British company Williams Advanced Engineering, the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) has a hybrid engine, with a hydrogen cell coupled to a lithium-ion battery. It will also be the world’s largest hydrogen vehicle. “Offering significant peak power capacity, the FCEV is as robust as industrial diesel engines in harsh environments,” says Williams Advanced Engineering. It will be delivered by the end of the year to Anglo American, which has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
The previous record was held by the Elektro Dumper, another 45-tonne mining machine that runs solely on a 600-kWh electric battery. The secret of the efficiency of these machines lies in the braking recuperation: the battery is recharged when the truck goes down a slope, which can then be used to propel the vehicle back up. The Elektro Dumper thus boasts that it recovers as much energy during braking as it does during recovery.
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to Operate in Mogalakwena Platinum Mine, South Africa
