Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) and MEDATech announced this week the pilot of a fully electric on-highway transport truck to haul copper concentrate, marking the first use of a battery-electric truck to haul copper concentrate worldwide. The truck will travel between Teck’s Highland Valley Copper Operations (HVC) in south-central British Columbia and a rail loading facility in Ashcroft.
This pilot of the MEDATech ALTDRIVE-powered fifth-wheel Western Star is a step towards advancing Teck’s goal of displacing the equivalent of 1,000 internal combustion (ICE) vehicles by 2025, the company said, adding it will provide a pathway for the electrification of Teck’s vehicle fleet on the path to achieving the company’s goal of reducing the carbon intensity of its operations by 33% by 2030 and becoming a carbon-neutral operator by 2050.
“Testing and implementing new electric vehicle technologies is one way we are taking concrete steps towards achieving our goal of being carbon neutral across our operations,” said CEO Don Lindsay in a media statement. “We are committed to further reducing the carbon intensity of our operations to support a cleaner future.”
The pilot is expected to begin in summer 2022 and is projected to eliminate 418 tonnes of CO2 annually – the equivalent of approximately 90 passenger cars – for the first pilot vehicle, while also reducing costs through fuel savings and reduced maintenance.
The battery-electric drive system is expected to work more efficiently than a comparable diesel engine, outputting a constant 620kW (approximately 830 horsepower) and is configured to continuously output almost double the amount of torque.
This pilot project builds on Teck’s GHG reduction initiatives, including the recently announced agreement to work towards deploying 30 of Caterpillar’s zero-emissions large haul trucks at its steelmaking coal operations in the Elk Valley.
This article originally appeared on www.mining.com.
April 25, 2024
April 25, 2024
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