
Teck Resources will be piloting the first of its kind fully electric transport truck at the Highland Valley Copper Mine near Logan Lake.
It says the battery-operated truck will be the first in the world to haul copper concentrate when it travels between the mine and a rail loading facility in Ashcroft.
Teck says this pilot of the MEDATech ALTDRIVE-powered fifth-wheel Western Star will help to advance their goal of displacing the equivalent of 1,000 internal combustion (ICE) vehicles by 2025.
In a statement, the company also says the pilot will help with plans to electrify their fleet of vehicles with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint by 33 per cent by 2030 on route to becoming a carbon-neutral operator by 2050.
“Testing and implementing new electric vehicle technologies is one way we are taking concrete steps towards achieving our goal of being carbon neutral across our operations,” Teck President and CEO, Don Lindsay, said. “Teck is already one of the world’s lowest carbon-intensity producers of copper, zinc and steelmaking coal, which are key materials to enable the low-carbon transition, and we are committed to further reducing the carbon intensity of our operations to support a cleaner future.”
The pilot is expected to begin this summer, eliminating an estimated 418 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide each year – the equivalent of approximately 90 passenger cars – for the first pilot vehicle.
“The fully-electric ALTDRIVE system is designed for this haul cycle at HVC requiring a vehicle that weighs 65,000kg loaded, 25,000kg unloaded, and completes the same four to five 95-kilometre roundtrips every workday,” MEDATech President, Robert Rennie, added.
“Since the truck batteries will charge on the downhill haul through regenerative braking, the rig will require only a short battery recharge at the Ashcroft, B.C. rail terminal so the haul cycle time is expected to be the same as a conventional truck.”