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45 minutes , off of our current time to get uphill .” So impressed has Byrnecut been by the performance of the machine , it has ordered its first Charmec MC 605 V SD machine , Bertagnolio said , adding that this unit would make its way to one of its “ major operations ”.
Closer to home , Scania is helping Nordic mining leaders Boliden and LKAB decarbonise their operations by supplying fully electric trucks for two of their mines in northern Sweden .
An electric Scania Heavy Tipper truck will operate at LKAB ’ s iron ore mine in Malmberget alongside an electric crane truck specially adapted for these mining operations , giving Scania a chance to test and operate fully electric trucks in a demanding underground mine environment .
At Boliden ’ s Aitik mine , meanwhile , the company is set to deliver a 74-t electrified truck for heavy transport during the spring of this year .
At Malmberget , the Scania heavy tipper has a total weight ( including load ) of 49 t and will transport residual products , Scania said . The second truck is equipped with a crane , purposefit to transport drill steel to underground drill rigs . The electric truck with the crane will be charged at the depot , but mobile charging at the site will also be possible to increase flexibility . The vehicles are expected to start operations at Malmberget during 2022 .
Peter Gustavsson , Project Manager at LKAB , said the electric Scania trucks are part of an ambition to set a new standard for sustainable mining , where fossil-free solutions are used .
Fredrik Allard , Head of E-mobility , Scania , said : “ For Scania it is very valuable to be able to test electric vehicles in the extreme environment in real customer operations in the mine . On top of that , the electric heavy tipper is the first of its kind in the industry and another really big step on the journey towards sustainable transport solutions across all applications .”
Boliden and Scania ’ s on-highway electric truck project is part of the company ’ s aim to decrease its CO 2 emissions by 40 % by 2030 .
The electrified truck , with a total weight of 74 t including load and trailer , will be driven by
An electric Scania Heavy Tipper truck will operate at LKAB ’ s iron ore mine in
Malmberget alongside an electric crane truck specially adapted for these mining operations haulage company Renfors Åkeri AB on a 30 km return-trip route on public roads to the mine .
Jonas Ranggård , Program Manager , Boliden , said : “ To try an electrified solution for very heavy vehicles at an early stage and contribute to the development and transition to sustainable solutions are very much in line with our agenda . The electrified Scania truck will reduce emissions in one of the most important flows in our operations and further strengthen our high climate performance .”
This electrified truck is part of close and innovative pre-development work between Scania and Boliden . The collaboration opens the possibility to electrify more of Boliden ’ s transport flows going forward , the companies said .
The electrified truck is based on the current
series-produced technology with the addition of stronger components for tougher operations . This powerful load capacity and an even longer range are expected to be part of Scania ’ s seriesproduced solutions within 24 months . The truck is due to be delivered this quarter . The project is a part of REEL , Regional Electrified Logistics , an initiative led by CLOSER and supported by the program Fordonsstrategisk forskning och Innovation to pave the way for the transition to electrified freight transport in the Swedish market .
Clean air in the cab
Boliden and LKAB ’ s decarbonisation journey goes beyond electrifying its equipment , with the companies having also bought into Swedenbased Racoon Miljöfilter AB and its air filters for mobile equipment .
Racoon was founded by Olle Sydlén , who , after witnessing how Ferrari worked with quality control of its car filters at a trade fair in Birmingham , England , all the way back in 1992 , came up with the idea of developing air filters to purify the air from not only particles , but also gases .
After five years of experimenting in the garage with his family ’ s microwave , Sydlén devised a filter that could withstand vibrations , moisture and freezing temperatures , while proving effective against protection from particles and gases using microwave-based technology .
This technology has come a long way in the last 25 years , with the tried-and-tested manufacturing process able to produce a filter capable of picking up and containing gases that other manufacturers cannot protect against , according to the company . And this is all delivered in one filter that fits inside the existing space manufacturers have built for filters inside the cab .
Boliden and LKAB – the latter of which hosted Sydlén while he was researching filter materials during the company ’ s first period of development – use these filters underground at some of their Nordic mine sites .
Sydlen ’ s son , Kristoffer Sydlén , now heads up the company and says Racoon is looking to grow its global reach , believing its air filters can outperform any cab-based filter currently on the mining market .
“ While 80 % of the cases we look at our trying
LKAB played a key role in the first period of development of Racoon ’ s air filters , hosting Olle Sydlén ( pictured ) at its Kiruna mine in Sweden
24 International Mining | MAY 2022