Mobile equipment electrification - the road (and ramp) to battery power
Mr Anthony Griffiths (Product Manager - Fleet Electrification - MacLean Engineering), Mr Stuart Lister (Marketing Manager - MacLean Engineering)
MacLean has been innovating for mobile equipment safety and productivity in the hard rock environment since 1973, and the latest chapter in the company’s R&D focus is the launch of a fleet electrification program that was initiated in 2015 and will be completed in 2017, at which point the full suite of MacLean ground support, ore flow, and production support solutions will be battery propulsion-ready. To date, two bolters and one boom truck have been designed and manufactured to incorporate a battery propulsion system that leverages high power/high efficiency/long cycle life/low heat generation battery chemistry, sophisticated battery management capabilities (protection against high and low temperature operating conditions, built-in vehicle monitoring), as well as onboard charging that ensures the propulsion system is compatible with any mine charge station infrastructure. As MacLean EV units get introduced underground in the fall of 2016 and diesel-free mine planning moves forward in Canada, there are a number of lessons learned that the company can share with the industry.
