Currently, the vast majority of BelAZ mining trucks are equipped with diesel engines. However, the company is not standing still and is already working on the introduction of promising technologies. Mining trucks running on electric, gas, and hydrogen power are being tested in Zhodino.
During a press tour dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Union of Belarus and Russia, Leonid Trukhnov, chief designer of mining equipment at BelAZ, said that batteries for heavy-duty equipment are created and used from scratch. Currently, specialists are working on the implementation of relevant technologies.
The Belarusian Automobile Plant has already developed a prototype dump truck that runs on hydrogen. After the technology is refined, it is planned to release a pre-production batch of such machines.
In addition, Belarus is testing unmanned trucks and mining equipment that operates on the trolleybus principle, that is, receives power for the electric motor from the contact network.
Trukhnov believes that the most promising direction at the moment is the use of gas-powered equipment. The company has already produced 11 gas trucks with a payload capacity of 90 tons, and it is planned to establish their serial production in the near future.
The most common models now are 90- and 130-ton diesel trucks. Several hundred of these machines are produced annually, and most of them are sent to Russia. Some components, including engines, are manufactured in our country.
As a reminder, the Belarusian company BelAZ previously presented two new mining dump trucks, created with concern for the environment. The first of these is the BelAZ-7513E, which can carry 120 tons of cargo and runs on electricity. The second is the BelAZ-7513R, capable of carrying a record 130 tons of cargo, which uses natural gas for refueling.
A year ago, the gas-powered BelAZ-7558N already conquered the Russians. Its engine is up to 35% more economical compared to diesel counterparts.
Read more on the topic:
BelAZ hydrogen dump trucks will be operated in Sakhalin
BelAZ has started testing a huge 220-ton mining dump truck
Import-independent BelAZ presented in Belarus, it has a Russian diesel engine
