This vehicle surpasses all dimensions previously seen: on behalf of Yangzhou Shengda Special Vehicle, Weichai has electrified a dumper that was previously driven by diesel engines. Even the empty weight of 102 tons is remarkable, with a permissible total weight of 283 tons it is finally clear that it is a real colossus.
The almost 12 meter long e-dumper is powered by two electric motors, each with an output of 500 kW. Energy supply is provided by four hydrogen fuel cells with a total of 340 kW from Ballard. In order to adjust the naturally volatile fuel cell voltage, the DCDC technology from ARADEX was used. Four VP5000-DCDC200-HL ensure reliable voltage regulation, which means that the fuel cells are optimally integrated into the drive system and enable safe and efficient energy use. While the fuel cells supply the traction drive with constant continuous power, an additional battery keeps additional energy reserves for short-term peak loads, e.g. when starting up. The lithium manganate battery can temporarily provide up to 750 kW. A complete refueling of the 12 hydrogen tanks takes only 10 minutes. Since the battery is charged by the fuel cells, no further downtime is required. The short refueling time allows the vehicle to be used flexibly without being hampered by long downtimes due to charging. With a range of approx. 100 km and a maximum speed of 30 or 15 km / h (unloaded / loaded), the heavy vehicle with full hydrogen tanks can be used for approx. four hours. After electrification the vehicle uses around 20% less energy than with an internal combustion engine. The payload capacity has remained the same.
The dumper was delivered in November 2019 for use in quarries. It is the world’s first electric mining vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of over 200 tons. With the electrification of this heavyweight, an important foundation stone was be laid for ecologically more sustainable and cleaner mobility in the mining sector. In the next step, the technology will be used to electrify other heavy machinery as well and to gradually adapt the construction machinery sector to the modern requirements of mobility solutions. This ensures that the increasingly stringent requirements regarding emissions and drive efficiency are met in the long term.
