Liebherr collaborated with Fortescue, a mining client, to carry out this conversion. Engineers from both companies worked together to ensure that the newly electric excavator could meet the demands of daily mining operations. The upgrades themselves, meanwhile, were carried out at Liebherr-Australia’s Perth branch in Western Australia.
“The modular design of Liebherr equipment makes it possible to repower existing diesel excavators to new zero emission configurations, such as electric powertrains,” explains Oliver Weiss, Executive Vice President of R&D, Engineering, and Manufacturing for Liebherr Mining. “This means that the diesel equipment customers buy today is also future-proofed for many years to come. The fact that we can ease the transition from traditional to decarbonized mining fleets for our customers is one of the key strategies of the Liebherr Zero Emission Mining Program.”
“This is an exciting milestone for both Fortescue and Liebherr as we work together to develop the zero emission solutions the world needs to step beyond fossil fuels,” says Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, Dino Otranto. “Our partnership with Liebherr is an example of true collaboration and how heavy industry can work together to decarbonize and eliminate fossil fuels.”
The converted R 9400 can be connected to a constant power source for energy, either directly to the grid or to a large-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Currently, the excavator is linked to a hydrogen-fueled Offboard Power Unit (OPU), designed and developed by Fortescue, which is undergoing site-based testing.
Source: Liebherr