Cummins and a Chinese rigid mining truck manufacturer are working together to field test a diesel-battery hybrid engine solution.
The hybrid NTH260 from North Hauler Joint Stock Co., Ltd. (NHL), a 220-metric-ton payload mining truck, rolled off the production line in January and will be used at the Baiyun Iron Mine, as a field test of the hybrid system. NHL produces trucks with payload ranges from 35 to 360 metric tons, with Cummins as the standard engine configuration.
The optimized hybrid system from Cummins allows the truck engine to be downsized from the previous 2,500-horsepower QSK60 to the current 2,000-hp two-stage QSK50.
"We're excited to share this significant milestone in our journey to advance bridge technologies and provide our mining customers with innovative, practical decarbonization solutions," said Jenny Bush, Cummins Power Systems President, who joined key leaders from Cummins Power Systems China for the commissioning ceremony in the NHL industrial park in Bautou, China.
Initial cost advantages, fuel efficiency, and an extended engine service life are expected to generate an improved total cost of living for the new truck, Cummins states. Improved fuel efficiency correlates directly to emissions and greenhouse gas reduction. Advanced hybrids have the potential to improve fuel efficiency up to 30 percent, dependent on the mine profile and advanced battery technology and controls integration.
"Our partnership with Cummins spans 40 years and advancing the hybridization of our equipment is another demonstration of what we can accomplish together for the benefit of miners globally," said Haiquan Guo, General Manager, NHL.
"We are intent on enabling multiple pathways to carbon neutrality for industrial markets, including both first-fit and retrofit solutions," said Molly Puga, Cummins Power Systems Executive Director of Strategy, Digital, and Product Planning. "It's partnerships with our customers like NHL and Baiyun Iron Mine that will accelerate product availability in the market and make both near- and long-term carbon reduction goals attainable."
