The green revolution can no longer be stopped, not in the highly competitive mining and tunnelling industry anyway. Load haul dumpers (LHDs) are already removing and reducing emissions through battery, tethered electric, and stage V engines, and now it's time for light duty vehicles in the mining industry.
Automotive manufacturers have impressively demonstrated in road passenger cars that switching from combustion engines to electric motors and batteries not only works but is also quite cost-effective and environmentally-friendly. However, hardly any manufacturer offers "real" offroad vehicles for productive use.
Health & safety and reduction of gaseous emissions are one of the biggest challenges faced in the underground mining industry today, especially in terms of diesel particulate matter and the resulting carcinogenic effects which underground miners are constantly exposed to. The dominance of diesel-powered vehicles is reducing at a rapid rate, especially where light duty vehicles are concerned, as these are the most cost-effective to change out.
Because light commercial vehicles in particular can be replaced comparatively quickly and cost-effectively, they are currently the focus of attention for mines around the globe.
Tembo 4x4 e-LV is the pioneer in this space. The Dutch supplier has been on the market with the Electric Cruiser since 2016 and the Electric HLX since 2018. These vehicles, which are based on the diesel Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux models, are considered to be the most frequently used vehicles in their class in mines worldwide. Tembo converts these Toyotas by equipping them with electric motors and batteries. Some of these Tembo e-LVs are already being used in Germany, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, and Australia. Their operators are positive about using them, given the advantages that utilising e-LVs bring: low direct operating costs, higher reliability, and reduced underground mining ventilation costs.
Machine manufacturing giant GHH, is the latest to have discovered the potential of e-LVs. Since September 2019, the GHH Group has included the electric off-road light duty vehicles to their product offering portfolio and in their worldwide sales and service programme. The vehicles will now be offered in Germany, Turkey, Greece, Russia, India, the US, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the CIS states, and Latin America. This move marks a considerable step forward for the industry.
Part of the Schmitz Kranz Group, and a global market leader, GHH has over 50 years of experience in the production of robust and safe vehicles for mining and tunnelling in hard and soft rock. Used worldwide, these include load haul dumpers with payloads of up to 21 tonnes and dump trucks of up to 35 tonnes, which are redesigned for low profile, narrow vein, and mass mining underground operating environments.
The Tembo 4x4 e-LVs are available as an all-wheel drive in several versions, all based on the Toyota 70 and Hilux series. The vehicles are equipped with a 65-kW electric motor with 250 Nm torque. The temperature-controlled, modular, and exchangeable battery provides a range of 80 to 100 km in proven underground use. It is designed for a service life of 15 years or 8,000 charging cycles (80 percent DoD) and charges from 20 to 80 percent in two hours. An external infrastructure is not required; a 15-kW charger sits onboard. The vehicle reaches a maximum speed of 80 km/h and can negotiate inclines of up to 45 degrees. For more information, visit the following websites: Tembo4x4-elv.com and GHH-Fahrzeuge.com