Prototype of world's largest hydrogen-powered mining vehicle realised

The mining vehicle was named 'Europa'. "The vehicle we will soon deploy on site. With this, Liebherr and Fortescue have taken an important step towards their common goal. The goal is to develop emission-free solutions for the mining industry. Together, we want to build vehicles that have proven themselves in practice and are energy-independent." So says Joerg Lukowski, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Liebherr Mining. "This success demonstrates the incredible capabilities of two Tier 1 companies. Their collaboration allows them to develop viable technologies that can help the mining industry move towards a carbon-free future."

Europa contains a 1.6MWh battery (developed internally by Fortescue WAE) and 500 kilowatts of fuel cells. The prototype can store more than 380 kilograms of liquid hydrogen.
"After the success of our battery-electric forklift prototype on site, we are delighted that Europa is now running on hydrogen." So says Dino Otranto, Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue Metals. "This is a huge achievement for the team. It brings Fortescue another step closer to a fleet of zero emission trucks at our sites by the end of this decade."

"We aim to transport the 'Europa' to our mining operations in the coming weeks. There it will be further tested on site and commissioned. We will use the subsequent test results for our future fleet of zero-emission trucks that we will supply together with Liebherr."

In June 2022, Fortescue and Liebherr entered into a partnership to develop and supply emission-free mining trucks. Liebherr began delivering the first of Fortescue's T 264 diesel-electric trucks in 2023. These will be converted to zero-emission technology before the end of the decade.

Featured image: The prototype of the hydrogen-powered T 264 transport truck at Fortescue’s factory in Perth. (Photo: Liebherr)

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