SmithCo Side Dump Trailers, a US-based manufacturer of side dump trailers, has introduced the world's first all-electric 80 metric tonnes off-road haul unit after signing a deal with Terra EV, a specialist in all-electric vocational trucks.
The company said the new off-road Mine Series Tipper trailer - the TS-80e - reduces the energy required to move loads, and cuts rolling resistance.
Terra EV combined its Boss B466 and Master M466 haul tractors with SmithCo's 80 metric tonne capacity Mine Series Tipper trailer.
Scott Lovell, SmithCo president and chief executive officer, said tractor-trailers are the most efficient way to transport heavy loads.
"We have 150-ton mine trailer trains running haul roads that are over 125 km with little or no degradation due to heat issues," Lovell said.
Rolling resistance generates a great deal of heat which is detrimental to tyre life in conventional large mine haul trucks; the faster the truck moves, the shorter the tyre's life.
"These units also have much quicker return speeds, moving more material per shift and dramatically lowering fuel costs.
"This makes it the perfect solution for all-electric power use challenges, and the product is made here in North America."
Moving to all-electric trucks will require mines to rethink how they operate, the company added.
