Fortescue’s 6MW electric vehicle charger stuns the EV and mining industries
Fortescue’s 6MW electric vehicle charger stuns the EV and mining industries
Fortescue says it has developed a 6 MW charger that can reboot the 1.8 MWh batteries in its giant electric haul trucks in just half an hour.
I'm getting one of those chargers installed at home next week. The giant mushroom cloud you might see is nothing to worry about.
These bad boys gonna be perfect for my new coal mine
Unfortunately, it's vital for steel production since it's a reducing agent and used in blast furnaces. There are other options out there but they are pretty far from being implemented AFAIK
They're investing in "green metal", using their own renewable generation to produce hydrogen.
Whether or not it works out is another matter, but he seems to believe in it and is willing to put his money where his mouth is.
Reminds me of an article I read a year or more ago at this point about a mine using a similar EV truck. It would regenerate so much electricity during a round trip that the batteries would be pretty much fully recharged.
Edit: Found it:
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1124478_world-s-largest-ev-never-has-to-be-recharged
Introducing the latest battery chemistry: very high rocks!
The 6 MW chargers will be used to charge the huge 1.9 megawatt hour batteries that drive the power systems for the massive 240 tonne battery electric haul trucks. It says it will be able to do that in just half an hour.
The future is very clearly electric.
Especially for heavy machinery. Electric motors have instantaneous torque that far exceeds industrial diesels and weight actually helps secure loads and allows massive regenerative brakes. So it can get jobs done faster and cost less. Also unlike private cars, you're not going to use it outside of work hours so you just charge it when your shift is over.
Honestly, I was mildly apprehensive about posting this here, since mining is generally frowned upon by environmental orientated groups. However, mining is central to renewables, whether we like it or not. It's also been around as long as humanity. I'm not defending it's environmental issues by any stretch. I'm very much for responsible mining and more regulation.
However, electrification of mining vehicles is a win. In some cases, it's not going to make much difference on net emissions, but in other cases, where to have a greener grid, it most certainly will. If you have a network of solar or wind power generators nearby, it's a no-brainer. In some cases, old waste rock piles or TSFs can be progressively reclaimed and green power generators and installed on them. While electrification doesn't solve emissions or env. Impact on the whole but it gives the opportunity to harness other sources of power than just fuel
Think about it like this:
The current price for a megagram of forest carbon is about 25 bucks. The contract for that is 25 years. So about a buck per year per megagram.The average megagram of fossil fuels CO2 was laid down in the Carboniferous. So call it 100 mya for dipshit math. Average temperate forest might do 2 megagrams per hectare per year. So to sequester a megagram of forest carbon for the time equivalent of fossil fuels carbon, you would need to set aside apx 50 million hectares for the time equivalent sequestration benefit. Which would mean that to get the time equivalent sequestration benefit from forest carbon, you need to set aside 50 million hectares. Per megagram. Which is just preposterous. It also implied that the stored value of a non-emitted megagram of fossil fuels carbon is about 50 million dollars. Which is to say if we believe that a megagram of forest carbon stored for 25 years is worth 25 bucks, we should by extension believe that keeping a megagram of carbon from being emitted from fossil fuels is worth 50 million bucks. Obviously none of this is really true but it points to the absurdity of sequestration and the importance of not emitting more carbon from fossil fuels, in any manner. Right now solar and bev are the most obvious, straight forward, And demonstrated to be effective ways to get there. We might literally be in a path to a world of practically free electricity in some places at certain times of day.
Also big electric truck go bzzzz.
*(these are all approx numbers and math; I'm in the shitter and not looking up anything for the haters)
A 240 tonne battery? That's almost 240 tonnes less payload. They should make one that runs on hydrogen or ammonia.