Electrically powered solutions offer benefits especially during periods of high diesel prices

The engines powering the haul trucks at mining operations consume vast amounts of diesel, often measured in tons rather than liters. With a conflict in the Middle East disrupting the flow of oil, the increasing cost of diesel is eating away at profit margins at the mines. Interest in electrically powered equipment is high and, with the evolution of battery technology, the hybrid concept for an ultra-class haul truck is attracting more interest.

Surface coal operations rely heavily on electrically powered equipment, like draglines and shovels. The pits at surface coal mining are reclaimed as the active operations move. Unlike their counterparts at open-pit hardrock operations, the haul roads and pit ramps at surface coal operations change frequently. So, even though the electrical infrastructure to power equipment exists, the stationary infrastructure to support the overhead trolley systems for the trucks did not make sense.

Now, with the advent of this hybrid technology, surface coal operators may reconsider the technology. The permanent haulage route could be electrified with a trolley system, and the hybrid option would allow the haul trucks to move about the pit and then reconnect and run off of electricity, which is relatively inexpensive source of power for these operations. On the main haul, the truck could recharge its battery or use electricity instead of diesel. For surface operation using electric drive trucks, adoption would be easier to justify.

During May, Hitachi Construction Machinery (soon to be Landcros) invited miners from 25 companies to evaluate its battery-powered EH4000AC-3 at a Zambian copper mine, showcasing its potential to lower fuel costs in real-world applications.

The EH4000AC-3 uses an overhead trolley charging system to propel the truck on grade and charge the battery. According to Hitachi, the gorup saw first-hand as the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) completed a full cycle, from trolley assisted power to full battery operation. During trials, the truck covered a total haul road distance of almost 4,000 km and transported more than 30,000 metric tons (mt). The BEV achieved zero CO₂ emissions during trial operations while demonstrating improved acceleration and reduced noise levels.

The event provided key insights into how battery-electric haulage can support evolving operational and sustainability goals, particularly for the North American market, Hitachi said.

“The successful demonstration of our BEV and the trolley assist system is exciting for us here in North America,” said Mike Whitelock, director of mining for Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas. “The technology has been proven to work as intended, now companies in the USA and Canada can confidently adopt these systems that will reduce fuel costs and improve overall sustainability.”

By matching the right applications with available energy sources, Whitelock explained that mining operations can reduce fuel consumption, lower costs, increase productivity and create a more sustainable environment for modern mining.

Hitachi also noted an optimized battery design reduces battery weight as a proportion of total vehicle mass to maximize payload capacity and improve cost performance. The company said operating data from the demo provides clear evidence of the technology’s progress and supports possible commercialization in North America
in FY2027.

Liebherr published a job report detailing the results of an overhead trolley trial at Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi (Collahuasi) in northern Chile. Located more than 4,500 m above sea level, Collahuasi is one of the largest copper mines in the world. Collahuasi’s current fleet includes 16 360-mt haul trucks.

Sustainability is a central part of Collahuasi’s operations, and the mine aims to achieve net zero CO₂e emissions by 2040 for Scope 1 and 2. To support Collahuasi in meeting these goals, Liebherr provided the mine with a full trolley solution. This included a 1-km trolley line at 10% grade, two 5.5 MW transformers, overhead line and masts, four existing T 284 trucks retrofitted with a trolley-assist system and training and support for the mine’s employees.

After training and commissioning were completed in July 2025, a production study at Collahuasi was conducted by application engineers from Liebherr Mining in October 2025.

The goal of the study was to measure the speed, cycle time and fuel consumption of the trucks operating on the trolley line. The study was conducted under normal operating conditions, with several loading points used and all trucks — both trolley-powered and solely diesel-powered — travelling to the same waste dump using the trolley ramp.

The study analyzed truck performance across 15 cycles on the same 9-km section of the site’s haul road network, which included several loading points and the same waste dump. Of the 15 cycles recorded, 11 were completed by trucks connected to the trolley system and four completed using only diesel power.

When the T 284s were operating under trolley, the average time to climb the ramp was 1.88 minutes, 1.36 minutes faster than the 3.24 minutes it took the trucks using only diesel power. This 42 % decrease in ramp cycle time was a result of the increased speed on grade enabled by the trolley connection.

Trucks using the trolley reached an average speed of 18 km/hr, while the average speed of the trucks operating on diesel power alone was 42% slower, reaching approximately 10.4 km/hr. Assuming a 60-minute working hour and that each truck was carrying the nominal payload, the trucks operating under trolley moved 667.2 mt per operating hour. Compared to the trucks relying solely on diesel power, which moved 638.5 mt per operating hour, the trolley trucks were 4.5% more productive than their diesel counterparts.

When the trucks were connected to the trolley line, all propulsion energy came from the electrical grid, not the trucks’ diesel engine. This allowed the engines to drop to idle, which used significantly less fuel. When travelling on the ramp, the trucks connected to the trolley line consumed approximately 1.8 liters of fuel in idle — 94% less than the 31.8 liters of fuel consumed by the trucks operating at 100% engine load under diesel power. This saved approximately 30 liters of fuel per haul cycle.

Based on these figures, the fuel consumption rate for trucks under trolley was 57 l/hr more than 90% lower than the 589 l/hr fuel consumption rate of the trucks operating without trolley. Over an entire haul cycle, the trolley-equipped trucks averaged a 26% decrease in fuel consumption over a complete haul cycle.

The use of the trolley significantly reduced fuel burn during the most intensive portion of the haul cycle. The trolley trucks’ decreased fuel burn also resulted in lower CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) emissions when travelling on the ramp. Under trolley, the trucks emitted only 4.89 kg CO₂e – 94% fewer emissions than the 87 kg CO₂e emitted by the trucks operating solely under diesel power.

The trolley offered other benefits for the mine site. There was a decrease in noise while operating under trolley and, in the future, Collahuasi can also expect to see increased engine life due to the lower fuel burn and a reduction in average engine load factor.

The installation of the trolley line at Collahuasi has increased the productivity and fuel efficiency of the Liebherr T 284s on site. Each truck equipped with Liebherr trolley technology is expected to move an additional 250,000 mt/y, Liebherr said.

By electrifying the most energy-intensive segment of the haul cycle, the trolley system delivers faster uphill speeds, reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions — proving that sustainable mining is possible even in the toughest conditions.

Based on the results achieved by the trolley line and the trolley-capable T 284s during the study, Liebherr reported that Collahuasi committed to adding two additional trolley-equipped T 284s to its fleet in December 2025.

This article was adapted from an
article that was previously published in the June 2026 edition of Engineering & Mining Journal (E&MJ).

Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group and Decoda, an Australian mining technology firm, announced a strategic alliance earlier this year that will bring mines real-time, autonomous haul road hazard detection to increase truck productivity, tire life and fuel efficiency. Kal Tire and Decoda have collaborated to develop KalPRO HaulSight, which builds on the success of KalPRO TireSight autonomous tire inspections.

“HaulSight’s ability to detect road hazards as they arise means mines can prevent the tire damage that TireSight detects,” said Christian Erdelyi, technology services director, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “We’re excited about how this collaboration with Decoda will further our achievements in the autonomous space to bring customers even greater improvements to tire life, productivity and fuel efficiency.”

With Decoda’s LiDAR and camera sensors mounted to the front and rear of haul trucks, and an ‘edge’ computer processing live footage, HaulSight gives fleet teams instant alerts about hazards such as spillage, road undulations and high G-force events that can cause truck and tire damage, and slow down operations. Modeling TireSight, HaulSight’s scanning technology integrates with Kal Tire’s TOMS (Tire & Operations Managing System) and allows condition monitoring experts to assess flagged issues and automate priority-based work orders.

“HaulSight gives mine sites unprecedented visibility across the entire haul circuit and turns that insight into action. By making critical data easy to visualize and act on, operations see measurable improvements, like faster circuits and reduced downtime, from day one,” said George Spink, executive general manager, Decoda. “Leveraging Kal Tire’s longstanding relationships means we have the chance to bring these benefits to more mines, so we’re pleased to be a part of such a valuable partnership.”

HaulSight enables road crews to react quickly and create optimal road conditions that maximize cycle speed and fuel use. When long-term planning opportunities arise, HaulSight calculates the cost to lost tire life, productivity and fuel against the cost of a road improvement.

“The responsiveness of the system means mine sites benefit right away with trucks spending more time hauling, but HaulSight also offers long-range planning insights that enable confident decision-making around tire maintenance and road upgrade investments,” said Erdelyi.