Rio Tinto has partnered with China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) to demonstrate battery swap electric truck technology at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia.
As the name suggests, battery swapping allows an electric vehicle to exchange a discharged battery pack for a fully charged one, instead of recharging the vehicle. The technology is already applied on trucks in mining operations across China, and this collaboration will enable Rio Tinto to demonstrate a complete battery electric truck and charging ecosystem.
The two-year project will result in eight mining haul trucks (91-ton payload), 13 batteries (800kWh) and a robotic battery swap and charging station being used in non-production activities in the above-ground operations at Oyu Tolgoi.
Rio Tinto operates about 700 haul trucks across its global operations. The company’s chief decarbonization officer, Jonathon McCarthy, said, “By partnering with the State Power Investment Corporation, we will be demonstrating the latest technology and innovation available in China, and assessing its potential to help decarbonize our operations quickly and cost-effectively.”
The chairman of State Power Investment Group Capital Holding, Han Zhiwei, added, “We hope our low-carbon technologies will assist Rio Tinto in achieving its decarbonization targets, and we look forward to continued cooperation between both parties to jointly promote the application of green energy.”
Technical experts from Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi have worked closely with SPIC and truck manufacturer Tonly to tweak the equipment design to align with Rio Tinto electrical and truck safety requirements. The trucks will perform dam rehabilitation work and topsoil movement and be operated and maintained by Oyu Tolgoi personnel.
Each battery is expected to last up to eight hours, depending on the work performed, and the battery swap process takes around seven minutes, enabling minimal charging downtime. The first truck is set to arrive at Oyu Tolgoi this year and the remaining seven trucks will be in operation by mid-2025.
