Rio Tinto and BHP will test two Caterpillar 793, and two Komatsu 930 battery electric haul trucks in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, "to accelerate the potential for its future deployment" the companies say.
The companies will work with both manufacturers to conduct independent trials of their battery-electric haul trucks, including testing of battery, static and dynamic charging systems, to assess performance and productivity in the Pilbara environment.
In 2021, Rio Tinto and BHP worked with Caterpillar and Komatsu to support the development and validation of their prototype battery-electric haul trucks. The trucks included in these trials are based on the prototypes.
As part of the collaboration the Cat haul trucks will be trialled from the second half of 2024, and the Komatsu haul trucks tested from 2026 at mines in Pilbara.
Caterpillar and Komatsu will each provide one truck each to both BHP and Rio Tinto for the trials. BHP will trial the Cat trucks, while Rio Tinto will trial the Komatsu trucks. Outcomes of the trials will be shared between BHP and Rio Tinto.
