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PlayfulParamedic2626 t1_ixkyskq wrote

These drive up a mountain, get loaded with material, drive slowly down a mountain, and generate electricity the whole way down using regenerative braking.

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wotmate t1_ixl563o wrote

Other way round. They drive down into a hole empty, get loaded with material, and then use all their power driving back out of the hole. Regenerative braking doesn't have a hope of recovering the energy used to drive 100 tonnes of rocks out of a hole.

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franzn t1_ixlgb1h wrote

There are mines where the deposit is above the plant. Obviously this isn't the best solution for all cases but where it does work it should be great.

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wotmate t1_ixlgru2 wrote

Those tend to use articulated dumpers, not the heavy haulers though. The heavy dump trucks can only go up a certain grade, which is why they're used in open cut mines, because they can make the haul roads whatever grade they want.

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franzn t1_ixlhl37 wrote

I worked at a company with 100 ton haul trucks in the Denver front range. Articulated haul trucks are great for rough terrain but the rigid frames can definitely climb. You have to manage grades with either truck though whether going up or down, just has to be addressed with good mine planning.

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48mcgillracefan t1_ixmfxil wrote

8 to 10% grade and plenty of mines use 240 to 320 ton trucks in these mines.

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frontiermanprotozoa t1_ixll9qf wrote

Dont they also spend most of their time waiting loading and unloading? Running a high gauge wire to loading and unloading bays sounds easier to do than refilling individual trucks.

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wotmate t1_ixlpyit wrote

Where they get loaded is a big hole in the ground that is constantly changing, with parts of it periodically blown up. They don't do it in bays...

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BukkakedFrankenstein t1_ixlv8pc wrote

Regenerative breaking also isn’t 100% efficient… No machine is 100% efficient. Realistically if these were nuclear powered they’d be more environmentally friendly… That would be a hard sell to a coal pit mine though…

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MainerZ t1_ixldmtz wrote

Up a mountain? Are these not primarily used to pull rock out of large holes? They'll be hauling loads out and driving down empty, that doesn't sound like it'll generate a whole lot.

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g1aiz t1_ixlvy90 wrote

The holes can be up mountains too.

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PlayfulParamedic2626 t1_ixm0iq9 wrote

In Electric Truck Hydropower technology, an empty truck moves up the mountain to collect containers filled with water at the charge site, while a truck with a full container goes down the mountain, generating electricity. The water then is unloaded at the discharge site.

https://www.thefabricator.com/stampingjournal/news/electricvehicles/technology-uses-electric-trucks-to-help-generate-hydroelectric-power

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lasdue t1_ixpjuf0 wrote

Is that satire or something, why would you do that instead of a pump and some pipelines?

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PlayfulParamedic2626 t1_ixpy9eb wrote

Because a pipeline isn’t cost effective to build and maintain. There’s already a road on the route. . .

The truck is fast easy cheap. A pipeline takes years and lots of money to build, install, and maintain.

A truck can carry rock. Be used anywhere anytime. A truck can move materials down several different mountains per day.

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lasdue t1_ixq0j5x wrote

Sorry man but moving water up a hill with a vehicle sounds stupid inefficient compared to a pipeline for electricity generation purposes.

On top of the weight of the water there’s also the additional weight of the vehicles that takes extra energy to move.

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PlayfulParamedic2626 t1_ixq1fzc wrote

The water starts at the top of the hill…. The energy is captured through regenerative braking on the trip down the hill….

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lasdue t1_ixq20ke wrote

There are still losses from transferring the energy from regen to the battery and then taking it out from it again. It’s inefficient and pointless.

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PlayfulParamedic2626 t1_ixqdki7 wrote

I’m sure you know more than all the engineers at catapillar

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lasdue t1_ixqh5nx wrote

Caterpillar has absolutely nothing to do with the article/study you linked

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chandleya t1_ixm315p wrote

Regenerative braking is extremely overrated lol. I’ve owned 2 prii, another hybrid SUV, and a Model Y-P. Regen is just a pinch of the power consumption. Low single-digit percents. It’s cool not to waste, but it’s irrational to think it adds some tremendous amount. It doesn’t.

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cat_prophecy t1_ixn5fj6 wrote

Regenerative braking in a Prius is different from what you find on a battery electric car. They run the motor in reverse as a generator and the electric motors in a battery vehicle are much larger and more efficient than what’s available even in a PHEV.

BEVs can brake without touching the brake pedal. A Prius doesn’t have a large enough electric motor to do that.

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talontario t1_ixnbc8s wrote

It's still not that efficient. About 25% last I checked

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chandleya t1_ixnccw2 wrote

I mean I literally have a Tesla and it’s pretty insignificant. Not nothing, but also not much more than reclaiming some free losses.

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eras t1_ixppamk wrote

How often do you drive long stretches down the hill? In this video guy driving downhill seems to be getting around 250 Wh/km, which seems rather significant.

I'm sure you can fare even better if you purpose-build a machine for just going downhill and charging and then going uphill: you basically have an electric plant on wheels.

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_MoveSwiftly t1_ixowf6s wrote

You haven't lived near mountains then. I live in CO and it's extremly effective for the 2nd Gen, I just wish I had a bigger battery.

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