MASSIVE 600 ton excavator converted from diesel to electric
In a move the company is calling breakthrough initiative, Lloyds Metals and Energy have successfully converted one of their massive, 650-ton class Liebherr R 996 excavators from diesel power to fully electric for the first time – and it won’t be the last!
Long time readers might remember that Liebherr began offering diesel-to-electric conversion options for its ultra massive excavators back in 2024, when the company debuted a converted R 9400 mining excavator at Frotescue’s Christmas Creek mining operation in Western Australia. But, while that program was led by Liebherr itself, this conversion has been executed entirely by Lloyds in-house engineering and technology teams, and involved a complete redesign of the big excavator’s power architecture, control, and safety systems.
The company believes that large-scale equipment electrification projects like this will help it to both eliminate of thousands of tons of harmful carbon emissions annually, while also delivering substantial operational cost savings and reduced dependency on diesel.
“This landmark achievement, is not just about electrifying a machine,” explains B. Prabhakaran, Managing Director, Lloyds Metals and Energy. “(It) is about reimagining the future of mining. At LMEL, we believe that responsible mining and sustainability must go hand in hand. This achievement demonstrates India’s capability to deliver world-class, zero-emission solutions in even the most complex and heavy-duty environments. We are proud to contribute to a future where mining is both productive and environmentally responsible.”
Make in India
Lloyd’s initiative to “go it alone” in developing the new conversion technology for its excavator – likely to be the first of many such conversions – strongly supports the company’s broader commitment to the “Make in India” program, developing and sourcing all its major subsystems domestically.
The company hasn’t released a full list of specs for the new electric R 996, but it’s safe to assume it will at least be competitive with the the diesel version, which can move 60–70 tons per pass in a standard 36 cubic meter (~47 cubic yard) bucket, backed by nearly 3,000 horsepower to hustle along the millions of tons of earth it will no doubt handle over its lifetime.
Electrek’s Take
With billions of dollars on the line and pressure to diesel dependence coming from all sides, it should come as no surprise that the race is on to bring practical, electric, and autonomous heavy mining equipment to market. At CES 2024, electric equipment from Hyundai, Bobcat, Volvo CE, and Caterpillar garnered lots of attention with their innovative concepts, and analysts like IDTechEx estimate that a single 150-ton haul truck can use over $850,000 worth of fuel in a single year.
Meanwhile, big electric haul trucks like this 240 ton unit from Caterpillar can, in certain use cases with high amounts of regenerative braking, operate without any significant cost to recharge. At that point, the reduced maintenance and downtime of BEVs compared to diesel vehicles becomes icing on the TCO cake.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Lloyds Metals; via EPC, Future Mobility.
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