Submitting our joint end-to-end mining haul truck battery swap solution with Tritium back in September 2021, Ampcontrol has been selected along with seven other technology innovators to progress beyond the Charge On Innovation Challenge.
The global challenge, launched by BHP, Rio Tinto, and Vale sought to accelerate the commercialisation of effective solutions for charging large electric haul trucks while simultaneously demonstrating there is an emerging market for these solutions in mining.
The eight innovators selected are Ampcontrol and Tritium (Australia), ABB, BluVeinXL, DB Engineering & Consulting with Echion Technologies, Hitachi, Shell Consortium, Siemens Off-board power supply, and 3ME Technology.
Rio Tinto Chief Technical Officer Mark Davies said, “With this group of innovators, we’re taking another step in the right direction towards changing the way haul truck systems operate in the mining sector. Through collaborations like this, where we all come together to create change, we can drive long-term benefits for our industry and the environment
The Challenge received interest from over 350 companies across 19 industries, with over 80 companies submitting expressions of interest (EOI). 21 companies were then invited to present a detailed pitch of their solution. The final eight were chosen from these 21 companies.
A major achievement of inter-company collaboration, our submission was an end-to-end mining haul truck battery swap solution that is fully automated, relocatable, scalable, and cell agnostic. In a drive-in/drive-out recharging station, an autonomous transfer robot swaps batteries in 90 seconds, significantly reducing safety risks and increasing productivity by excluding personnel from the swap process.
On receiving the news of its winning solution, Ampcontrol Managing Director & CEO Rod Henderson said, “Technological breakthroughs are vital to our decarbonisation journey as we work toward zero emissions. Collaborative partnerships with organisations such as Tritium are critical to our research and development as they bring together innovative thinkers to deliver safer, cleaner, electrically operated solutions to the mining industry.”
Focused on the sustainability of our environment, we worked together with Tritium to pitch for the challenge to help find a joint solution that can change the shape of the mining haul cycle forever.
“We are immensely thrilled to be named as one of the winning solutions in what has been a very comprehensive and competitive worldwide challenge. The backing by BHP, Rio Tinto, and Vale of our winning solution acknowledges both Ampcontrol and Tritium as pioneers in innovative global energy solutions that can disrupt and revolutionise the mining industry,“ added Rod Henderson.
Congratulations to the other seven innovators that were successful in the challenge, we look forward to further innovating in the mission for mine site electrification and emission reduction.