News

May 18, 2023

Epiroc: The battery

It’s no secret Epiroc is a leader in the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) space, with the company constantly pioneering new initiatives to make a BEV reality more accessible and efficient for the mining

It’s no secret Epiroc is a leader in the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) space, with the company constantly pioneering new initiatives to make a BEV reality more accessible and efficient for the mining industry.

Since launching its first battery-driven product – the Scooptram ST7 Battery – in May 2016, Epiroc has been a trailblazer in the electrification movement.

Epiroc released the Scooptram ST7 Battery as an automated loader when prior models had to be powered by an electric cable. Since then, the company has evolved its battery-electric vehicle (BEV) range to include underground trucks and drills, with a battery-operated surface drill rig also in the pipeline, having recently commenced trials in Sweden.

In 2017, the Swedish company started development of a battery platform involving scalable, modular architecture that could be used across its product range, from the smallest to largest machines.

Then in November 2018, Epiroc unveiled its second generation BEV range, including a number of larger machines that appealed to a broader market, particularly in Australia.

Providing BEVs was one thing but supporting the transition to electrified machines was another, especially for a mining industry that had long been diesel-dependent up until that point.

So Epiroc rolled out its Batteries as a Service (BaaS) business model to remove the obstacles that come with a transition to the technology, providing an ‘instant technology leap’ to battery electric machinery.

BaaS moves the upfront costs of batteries from capital expenditure to operational expenditure, with the responsibility of this function assumed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

“A key component to the success of this offering is the flexibility it allows our customers,” Epiroc Canada product manager – Rocvolt Shawn Samuels said soon after BaaS was launched.

“We take ownership of the battery itself and automatically replace and update the units as needed, which means the mine site can breathe easier and continue to focus on heightened production.”

With BaaS, Epiroc monitors clients’ battery performance and replaces batteries when needed, ensuring BEVs have the required capacity at all times, along with the flexibility to install the latest technology when available.

In July 2020, Epiroc announced its first BaaS customer, with Vale taking on 10 Epiroc BEVs for two of its Canadian mine sites.

Today, Epiroc’s BEV range boasts the Scooptram ST7, ST14 and ST18 Battery loaders, the latter of which is the largest underground loader on the market.

With an 18-tonne capacity, the ST18 has excellent digging ability and higher lifting, making it the perfect companion for Epiroc’s mine trucks.

In December 2021, Epiroc and Newcrest announced they had joined forces to convert the gold miner’s Panel Cave 1 at the Cadia East gold mine in New South Wales to an integrated semi-autonomous operation.

The Scooptram ST18 has been a key part of this, with the loader going through several stages to be ready for automated operation.

Cadia general manager Aaron Brannigan said Epiroc had been pivotal in supporting his workforce through the transformation.

“Innovation and technology is the way of the future and the mining industry is no exception,” Brannigan said.

“We see automation as the future of our Cadia East underground mine and through our industry partnership with Epiroc, we are already achieving milestones that will support this aspiration.”

Capable of 24–7 production across seven drives of the panel cave and with further expansions in the works, the project highlights Epiroc’s ability to deliver a fully-developed autonomous system for a mining operation.

The OEM’s BEV range also includes the Minetruck MT2010 and MT42 Battery. The MT42 is known for its speed up inclines, accelerating dump cycles and increasing overall productivity.

Then there is Epiroc’s mining and exploration (M&E) drilling fleet, which includes the Boomer E2 Battery zero-emission face drill rig, which has an onboard charger, large battery and powerful motors to enable long tramming distances.

This range also includes the Boltec M Battery, which is among the most advanced and productive fully mechanised rock bolting machines in its size class.

In early July, Epiroc announced it was trialling the first-ever battery-electric surface drill rig in collaboration with Swedish construction company Skanska. The rig’s design is based on Epiroc’s renowned SmartROC T35 surface drill rig.

The SmartROC T35 E will harness Epiroc’s vast experience in the development of underground battery rigs, with Skanska to test the rig at a quarry near Stockholm, Sweden. Following the trial, Epiroc will announce when the SmartROC T35 E will be available to the market.

As Epiroc continues its electrification journey, the OEM aims to offer its complete fleet of underground mining equipment as battery-electric versions by 2025, and its full fleet for surface operations as battery-powered versions by 2030.

This feature appeared in the August edition of Australian Mining.