Liebherr Reveals Towering Battery-Electric Haul Truck

November 6, 2024

Ryan Gehm

Liebherr and Fortescue unveiled their first autonomous battery-electric T 264 haul truck at MINExpo 2024, garnering a steady stream of attendees eyeing and climbing on the giant machine. The truck is the culmination of nearly three years of development work and collaboration among the autonomy and zero-emission units of Liebherr and Fortescue. The T 264 electric hauler features a 3.2-MWh battery system, comprising eight subpacks, developed by Fortescue Zero.

Fortescue also developed a stationary fast-charging solution to support the new T 264. The charger will be available in both manual and robotic versions. An automated quick charger of up to 6 MW with two megawatt charging system (MCS) plugs can reportedly charge the current battery-electric T 264 in 30 minutes.

The truck on display at MINExpo was equipped with the Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS) that was jointly developed by both companies. The AHS includes an Energy Management System that coordinates the static recharge assignments for the trucks and ensures the charger is fully utilized without causing queuing on site, the companies said.

“We wanted to design and build an intelligent, state-of-the-art AHS that not only includes the know-how from both an OEM and a mining operator generated over the last few years but will also be able to integrate with new zero-emission solutions in the future,” said Oliver Weiss, executive vice president, R&D, engineering and production, Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS. “Therefore, control and command of zero-emission mining technologies were included in the AHS from the outset. The fleet management assignment engine at the core of the AHS monitors fleet energy levels so that jobs and energy replenishment tasks can be assigned efficiently.”

Onsite validation of the T 264 battery-electric truck will commence at the end of 2025.

Hundreds of T 264 electric haulers coming by 2030

Liebherr and Fortescue also announced a significant expansion of their partnership at MINExpo. The two companies will develop and validate a range of Liebherr mining machines incorporating Fortescue Zero’s battery power system. Fortescue’s operations in Western Australia will eventually run 475 new zero-emission machines, including about 360 battery-electric T 264 trucks with the Autonomous Haulage Solution. The total value of the partnership is up to US$2.8 billion.

Fortescue said both the battery power system and the AHS were built to be scalable so they can be retrofitted onto existing Liebherr haul trucks. The first diesel trucks were delivered to Fortescue’s Eliwana mine in October 2023. The initial 240-tonne-capacity trucks will be converted to battery power before 2030. However, most of the fleet will be supplied in battery-electric configuration from first arrival, the company said.

“We’re going to be repowering 107 of these trucks over the next five years from diesel engines to batteries,” a Liebherr spokesperson said at MINExpo. Components removed from the diesel trucks include the engine, engine skid, alternator and radiator, the piping, exhaust and aftertreatment assemblies, as well as the air intakes, fuel tanks and filter assemblies.

Four autonomous trucks are currently in validation at Fortescue’s testing site, with the first deployment of operational autonomous trucks expected in Q1 2025. All T 264 trucks are arriving autonomy-ready, according to Fortescue, and will be progressively deployed to autonomous operations across its sites. Validation of the full autonomous battery-electric solution is expected to be complete in early 2026.

In addition to the electric T 264, the companies will integrate Fortescue Zero’s battery power system into an electric version of Liebherr’s flagship mining dozer, the PR 776, which is currently in development. Liebherr will supply Fortescue with 60 electric dozers once ready. Fortescue said it is boosting its capacity to supply the hundreds of batteries required for both the trucks and dozers.

The deal also includes the supply of 55 R 9400 E electric excavators, which will include a mix of backhoe and face shovel configurations. Fortescue first adopted Liebherr’s electric excavator technology in December 2023 and now has three R 9400 E excavators in operation across its sites.

“As the mining solutions we offer continue to expand, so must our capability and capacity to deliver and service these ever-advancing technologies,” said Michael Arndt, executive vice president, service and quality, Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS. “In addition to infrastructure, we are also investing heavily in our people and remote support services to be able to support these new products and technologies.”

Energy-saving tires

The battery-electric T 264 on display at MINExpo sported Michelin 50/80R57 XDR 4 Speed Energy tires, claimed to be the first energy-efficient tire for mining haul trucks. Made with a new energy-saving rubber compound and featuring an optimized tread with increased flexibility, the 50/80R57 XDR 4 Speed Energy tires have reportedly demonstrated a 3.6% reduction in fuel consumption in flat conditions when compared to the Michelin 50/80R57 XDR 250 C tires running on a combustion-engine truck.

Michelin expects the tires to have a positive impact on vehicle range for the battery-operated trucks. The 50/80R57 XDR 4 Speed Energy tire will be commercially available in 2025.

---