Super-sized battery to power Liebherr fully-electric haul truck

Photo credit: Liebherr

This article was published by Eva McKee on 15 March, 2023

WAE Technologies' and Fortescue's quest for decarbonisation has been making waves in the industry as of late. Weighing in at a hefty 15 tonnes, it's no surprise WAE's state-of-the-art 1.4MWh battery is causing a commotion. The battery was recently delivered to Fortescue Metals Group's workshop in Perth and is set to be installed in a 240-ton zero-emission battery-electric haul truck they are developing with Liebherr.

This enormous battery is 3.6m long, 1.6m wide and 2.4m high and was developed by 50 of WAE's engineers and technicians. An essential part of Fortescue's multi-billion-dollar decarbonisation strategy, the revolutionary power system consists of eight sub-packs with 36 modules each, which are all individually cooled, and each has its own battery management system.

"The battery system, designed for our zero-emission battery-electric mining haul trucks is an important part of our strategy to reach real zero terrestrial emission (Scope 1 and 2) across our iron operation by 2030," said Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) CEO Mark Hutchinson. "WAE's battery expertise compliments FFI's green technologies needed for the green energy transition."

Reminiscent of the regenerating battery electric iron ore "Infinity Train", the power system can regenerate power as the haul truck drives downhill and fast charge in 30 minutes. The development of the battery has also been receiving much attention and praise, breaking multiple records in terms of completion time and energy storage size.

Craig Wilson, WAE Technologies CEO, expressed that this, "marks the latest milestone in the rapid development of state-of-the-art zero-emission technology for Fortescue's mining trucks. This high-performance power system not only boasts the highest energy storage of its kind but will also be the first to offer 30 minute fast charging."

He continued, "This system is the first of many technologies that can help enable Fortescue to realise its industry-leading 2030 net-zero target. Powered solely by renewable energy, it will help prevent enormous amounts of fossil fuel from being used in the mining industry, with the goal to not compromise the vehicle's load capacity. This is an inspiring example of what can be achieved combining Fortescue's pioneering green energy vision for its global vehicles and WAE's extensive expertise in advanced batteries."

The battery will be transported to the Pilbara and tested on site later this year.

This article was originally published by the ComponentsONLY team in the March 2023 issue of "@ The Coal Face" magazine.