Source: Liebherr
A static charging solution has been developed for the big hauler that can quick charge its batteries in 12 to 58 minutes, Liebherr says.
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Liebherr has teamed up with Australian mining giant Fortescue to bring battery electric to some of the largest mining machines in the world, as well as autonomy.
At last week’s Minexpo in Las Vegas, the partners revealed Liebherr’s first autonomous, battery-electric T 264 rigid-frame dump truck. The partnership marks Liebherr’s largest equipment deal in its 75-year history.
The unveiling of the 240-metric-ton-payload, electric, autonomous hauler also included Liebherr’s new 400-metric-ton R 9400 E electric-drive excavator and plans to develop an electric version of its 70-metric-ton PR 776 dozer.
The mining truck runs on a 3.2-megawatt-hour battery developed by Fortescue Zero, the iron-ore mining company’s technology arm. The companies said they have also developed a static charging solution for the big hauler that can quick charge its batteries in 12 to 58 minutes.
The truck is equipped with the Autonomy Haulage Solution to coordinate truck recharging at the mine site to prevent trucks from lining up and waiting to be recharged, the companies say.
Autonomous, Electric Hauler
LiebherrThe Liebherr-Fortescue deal is for 475 electric mining machines, of which 360 will be autonomous, battery-powered T 264 trucks.
The new fleet of trucks has been arriving at Fortescue’s Western Australia operations since October. The first trucks are diesel-powered models being converted to electric, but most of the fleet will eventually be supplied as battery-electric configurations, the companies say.
Fortescue already has four autonomous Liebherr T 264s being tested, with fully operational autonomous models set for the first quarter of 2025. Testing is expected to be completed in early 2026.
The companies add that the battery system and Autonomous Haulage Solution can be used to retrofit Liebherr diesel trucks. “This means that trucks purchased today are already futureproofed for tomorrow,” the companies say.
The static charger for the truck was developed by Fortescue. It comes in manual or robotic versions with an automatic quick charger of up to 6 megawatts that can charge the current battery-electric T 264 in 30 minutes. No word yet on runtime for the trucks.
