The Fortescue company’s prototype hydrogen truck, known as “Europa,” ran on hydrogen for the first time. This breakthrough represents a crucial step in the company’s mission to decarbonize heavy industry and in its collaboration with Liebherr Mining.
Fortescue closer to a zero-emission fleet
First, “Europa” is a Liebherr T 264 transport truck, jointly developed with Liebherr and equipped with a 1.6 MWh battery (created in-house by Fortescue WAE) and 500 kilowatts of fuel cells. This prototype has the capacity to store more than 380 kg of liquid hydrogen, making it a powerful tool in the fight to reduce emissions.
In addition, Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, expressed his enthusiasm saying, “Following the success of our battery-electric truck prototype on site, we are excited to see Europe operating on hydrogen. This is a great achievement for the team and brings us one step closer to having a fleet of zero-emission trucks in our facilities by the end of this decade.“.
On the other hand, Otranto noted that they plan to move their mining operations to Europe in the coming weeks for further testing and commissioning on site.
Fortescue and Liebherr introduce hydrogen truck
Likewise, Joerg Lukowski, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Liebherr Mining, noted, “With the upcoming installation in Europe, Liebherr and Fortescue have taken a significant step towards their common goal of developing and building zero-emission solutions for the mining industry that are both field-proven and energy agnostic.”. Lukowski highlighted the outstanding capabilities of both companies working together to create viable technologies that promote a decarbonized future for mining.
In addition, in June 2022, Fortescue and Liebherr entered into a collaboration to develop and supply net-zero emission mining haul trucks. The anticipated final fleet will also include a wide range of heavy mobile support equipment from a variety of vendors, and most will be equipped with a Fortescue WAE power system.
Finally, Fortescue has begun taking delivery of the first T 264 diesel-electric trucks, which will be converted to zero-emission technology before the end of the decade, underlining its commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable future in mining.
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Source and photo: fortescue