AUTONEWS

Anglo American miner's off-road truck is powered massively by a hydrogen fuel cell

The three-story tall, 200-tonne prototype vehicle is powered by a truly massive hydrogen fuel cell and lithium-ion battery powertrain designed and built by First Mode.

The company did not elaborate on the powertrain, but specified that it is equipped with a 1.2 MWh battery, eight fuel cells and a total output of 2,682 hp. The nuGen truck also features multiple electric motors, regenerative braking and the ability to haul up to 290 tons of ore.

The creation of the car took less than three years. It is based on a diesel engine model that normally consumes 900,000 liters of fuel per year. However, thanks to its new eco-friendly powertrain, it will maintain the "carbon footprint of 700 vehicles". Anglo American CEO Duncan Vanblad noted that in the coming years, his company plans to convert or replace its current fleet of diesel trucks with this green hydrogen-powered zero-emission transport system. If this pilot project is successful, it will be possible to reduce diesel emissions from the company's quarries by up to 80%, introducing this technology into the global fleet of vehicles.

Although the vehicle is a prototype, the company already plans to convert 40 diesel-powered trucks to hydrogen at its Mogalakwena plant as part of the nuGen project. Thereafter, Anglo American plans to introduce hydrogen power into its global fleet of approximately 400 trucks.

AVnews/Mundoquatrorodas