Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd (HCM) and Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd say their hybrid dump truck demonstration test project, set to take place at a mine in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, has been selected for inclusion in the ‘Industrial cooperation program in the Global South through technology transfer from Japan’, publicly solicited by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
UNIDO is conducting the program to promote technological innovation, strengthen supply chains and establish industrial infrastructure in Global South countries by supporting Japanese companies in conducting large-scale demonstrations, funded by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Government of Japan.
HCM explained: “Numerous pieces of mining machinery operate at mining sites, and most are powered by diesel engines. Diesel fuel is the primary cost factor in mine operations, and reducing fuel consumption has been a challenge for many years. In addition, the CO2 emissions generated by dump trucks account for more than 50% of the total emissions from mining machinery in operation at mines in many cases, which makes reducing their environmental impact an urgent issue.”
To address these challenges, the project will manufacture a hybrid dump truck for demonstration testing based on an electrically driven EH4000AC-3 rigid dump truck that uses a diesel engine as its power source. The demonstration test dump truck will be equipped with an AC drive system manufactured by Hitachi Industrial Products, which operates using electricity generated by a diesel engine and electricity recovered through regenerative braking and stored in onboard batteries.
The demonstration test will be conducted at a mining site in South Africa. As part of the implementation of the demonstration test, Hitachi Construction Machinery will provide training on the repair and maintenance of hybrid dump trucks to service personnel in South Africa and other countries of the Global South as well as locally transfer knowledge and conduct human resource development.
Compared with the existing diesel-powered EH4000AC-3, the demonstration test dump truck is expected to reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 10%, which helps reduce lifecycle costs and the environmental impact in mining operations. In addition, the use of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) may theoretically reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%, which has the technical potential to accelerate decarbonisation efforts. Furthermore, the ability to retrofit existing dump trucks into hybrid dump trucks will enable mining companies to effectively utilise the assets that they own and support the realization of sustainable operations, HCM says.
HCM has promoted the joint development and demonstration testing of full battery dump trucks to realise net zero emissions at mining sites. Going forward, the company will continue to strengthen optimal solutions that reduce the environmental impact while maintaining mining site safety and productivity. It announced the commencement of the world’s first technological feasibility trial of an ultra-large full battery rigid frame dump truck by an OEM operating at First Quantum Minerals Ltd’s Kansanshi copper and gold mine in the Republic of Zambia, last year.
Hitachi Industrial Products will contribute to improving environmental performance – such as better vehicle fuel efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions – by adding service offerings that utilise battery power for AC drive systems in the existing installed base. Hitachi’s Connective Industries (CI) Sector, to which Hitachi Industrial Products belongs, focuses on “Integrated Industry Automation”, which aims to expand “HMAX for Industry” into growth industries horizontally. HMAX for Industry provides digital services that combines data from an abundant installed base of products (digitalised assets), domain knowledge and advanced AI. As part of the CI Sector, Hitachi Industrial Products aims to drive innovation for frontline workers through the delivery of “HMAX for Industry” that embodies Lumada 3.0.
The manufacture of the hybrid dump truck at the Hitachi Construction Machinery Hitachinaka-Rinko Works is expected to begin this month, with the mine site demonstration taking place from July-December 2027. The tests will focus on verifying the basic performance of the hybrid dump truck in the operating environment, its reduction in fuel consumption due to charging and discharging, battery durability, as well as training in the repair and maintenance of hybrid dump trucks.