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FIRSTFREED0CELL t1_ixmc0ia wrote

Reply to comment by wotmate in This mining tractor developed by Caterpillar is completely battery-operated by redhatGizmo

I don't know anything about mining, but I wonder if some sort of pantograph and overhead wires along the more permanent sections of road could work. I would think the active mining end of the route might be too dynamic to be electrified, or at least would require some easily movable tower system. There have been locomotives that run on partially electrified routes for quite some time - they are able to raise a pantograph and switch to electric from diesel while moving.

Would it be worth the effort?

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ahfoo t1_ixml35v wrote

I have zero experience or inside knowledge on this but I would guess that you've answered your own question basically which is that the whole thing is too dynamic for a solution like that to work. Pantograph wires are fine for light rail mass transit where the route never changes but an open pit mine is almost certainly changing constantly. Think of it as a landfill in reverse. This idea clearly would not work in a landfill. A mine is the opposite case.

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shiftty t1_ixnwru2 wrote

This is already in widespread use. The trucks run on diesel>electric part of the time, but the main slope has exactly what you described

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