Strautmann Visit to ZEV

November saw Wolfgang Strautmann, CEO of B. Strautmann & Sohne, visit Zero Emission Vehicles in New Zealand. Strautmann was visiting from Germany to discuss opportunities with ZEV around a number of initiatives with battery electric heavy vehicles and technology.

B. Strautmann & Sohne encapsulates a number of companies, including Strautmann Agricultural Machinery, which has been investigating battery electric technology for its range and has also been developing autonomous systems. It is seeking to bring in global expertise in heavy electric vehicles to enhance its line of vehicles and equipment it sells throughout the wider European market.

“Strautmann is a very progressive and forward-thinking organisation,” said ZEV CEO Andrew Rushworth. “We are finding a lot of common ground and synergies and the potential opportunity to bring our technology together with theirs represents a compelling proposition.”

Rushworth is heading to Germany in January to progress discussion between the two companies.

BHP Expand Deployment in Wake of Successful Voltra Trial

BHP,  one of the world’s largest mining companies, is looking at expanding its trials of electric vehicles into Western Australia after successfully trialling the Voltra at its Olympic Dam mining site in South Australia.

International Mining reports that BHP Chief Transformation Officer, Jonathan Price, announced the expansion on the back of positive results from the operations with the Voltra. The vehicle was used both above- and below-ground and has been running for months at the site.

“The Olympic Dam trial is providing us with valuable data and information to understand how we may continue to electrify different forms of transportation, and material movement in our operations,” he told delegates.

“Early results indicate significantly reduced maintenance time, and very positive operator feedback on the vehicle – not only are they smooth to drive, they’re quiet – and with no diesel exhaust and dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”

ZEV has been constantly refining the vehicle in response to operator feedback and is currently designing the next generation of the Voltra vehicle for wider deployment.

ZEV China Established

ZEV China has been established, to be lead by Lv Wei Qing. Wei Qing has decades of experience in the automotive industry, working directly in China and Europe, and brings a strong background in both engineering and sales to the organisation.

ZEV China is charged with a range of responsibilities in the region, including logistics and  supply chain sourcing. The company is already in discussion with heavy machinery manufacturers and the mining industry and is also in talks with organisations seeking to sell into the Australia/New Zealand market.

“Wei Qing is responsible for our commercial activities throughout China, representing ZEV and ZEV IP,” said ZEV CEO Andrew Rushworth. “He has extensive networks throughout the manufacturing and automotive industries across China and Europe. We are excited with the opportunities he is finding as ZEV expand into new territories.”

Voltra eCruiser on trial with BHP

Earlier this month a Zero Emission Vehicles built Voltra eCruiser was delivered to the BHP Olympic Dam mine site in South Australia.

This Voltra will undergo a trial period with BHP to test it against the harsh operating conditions at Olympic Dam. Further information regarding the trial is available on the BHP website Here.

For more information or inquiries about the Voltra eCruiser visit the official Voltra website www.voltra.net.au

Voltra Electric Vehicle

ZEV Enters the International Market

Zero Emission Vehicles moves into the international market in 2018 with the deployment of its first electric vehicle into Australia. The first of the new model of the Voltra fully battery-electric 4WD utility vehicle developed for Autoline is being prepared for use in the Australian mining industry.

“This is a significant milestone for us,” says ZEV Chairman George Zander. “Our goal has always been the global market and this vehicle represents our first steps in the international arena.”

The Voltra was launched at the end of 2017 at EV World in Auckland, but this latest vehicle includes numerous refinements from customer feedback and to suit the harsh operating conditions it is intended for.

Kitsets have been designed and manufactured in New Zealand and have been shipped to Australia where ZEV staff are assembling and fitting them at their Adelaide facilities. The first vehicle is in the final stages of manufacture before being commissioned in the Australian mining industry.

“The mining industry is a very stringent one in terms of process and regulations,” says Zander. “Electric drive provides huge health and safety benefits for the mines and its workers, as well as big reductions in the amount of maintenance a vehicle requires when it does not have a combustion engine.”

The first vehicle is scheduled to go into live mining operation in April.

ZEV to Build the Largest Electric Road Vehicle in New Zealand

EECA LogoTwenty projects have been announced in the latest round of the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Among them is a $500,000 grant to freight optimisation company CODA. As reported by the NZ Herald, this is to be used in partnership with Bay Dairy and Zero Emission Vehicles to design and build an electric freight truck to shuttle dairy products from the Fonterra Te Rapa dairy factory to the Fonterra Crawford Street freight hub in Hamilton.

The vehicle is unique in that it is a high-productivity truck and trailer with both units powered. Three axles on each unit are driven electronically which will transmit the power to the pavement in a more evenly-distributed manner, creating less roadwave. The result is a vehicle with greater control and stability that is gentler on roads despite being, at 58 tonnes, the largest electric vehicle ever to appear on New Zealand roads.

The heavier vehicles are core business for ZEV, with larger trucks creating a more compelling business case for cost savings over diesel vehicles and with greater environmental and health benefits. EECA has identified that this vehicle will save 71 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year alone.

The ZEV truck and trailer is expected to be in operation in early 2019.

Voltra Photo Shoot in Waihi

We needed some images of the Voltra fully-electric landcruiser and, given it is designed for mining operation, it seemed the logical option was to take it into a working mine to photograph.

Waihi Gold were generous enough to let us take the vehicle into their Correnso underground mine at Waihi in the beautiful Coromandel region of New Zealand.

 

And so, on a changeable Spring day, we took one of the Voltra landcruisers to the mine and a group of us were taken through the safety induction processes – including a very entertaining safety video. The health and safety procedures at the mine were rigorous and exhaustive, including a full risk assessment conducted on every aspect of the vehicle itself. All of our staff were kitted out in high-vis gear, breathing apparatus, helmets and lights before we descended into the mine itself.

The drive down plunged into complete darkness, with the 1 in 7 slope exactly what the Voltra was designed for. The mine was very damp, with water dripping from the ceiling and a layer of grey mud on the ground everywhere.

We found a spot some 300m below the surface where an intersection of tunnels gave us a tiny bit more room to shoot in and we unpacked lights.

Due to the mud and uneven surface, light stands were not able to be used so we had to employ everyone as ‘voice-activated light stands’, which involved a lot of holding lights and pointing them while I lay in the mud to get the shots from the appropriate angle. I also found it is really difficult to look through the viewfinder on a camera when you’re wearing a mining helmet. My main concern was making sure lenses and lights stayed out of the mud!

The shots came out great, though – the Voltra certainly stood out from all of the other mining gear by being so clean and white, not to mention its near-silent operation. The ability to keep all the lights on at all times was also handy in the depths of the tunnels.

The next run of Voltra vehicles are destined for mines in Australia which will have minor modifications to this model in order to suit Australian requirements, but no doubt they will look equally impressive. Until the mud gets them, of course.

Introducing the ZEV 22000

Launched at the EVWorld NZ, a concept electric vehicle by New Zealand specialist heavy electric vehicle manufacturer Zero Emission Vehicles brings a paradigm shift to transport in underground mining.

The ZEV 22000 is an electric 110 tonne haul truck.

It is emission free. In a hazardous underground environment, removing inflammable fuels and exhaust gases, and the particulates and contaminants they create, is costly and involved. By using electric vehicles, it removes the source of the problem.

With multi-charging options the vehicle can be charged underground, so there is no need to return to the surface for refuelling.

The ZEV 22000 is capable of a tramming speed of 20kph on a 1:7 gradient fully loaded, around twice the speed of its diesel competitor, so, as well as a quicker turnaround, it contributes to a healthier working environment.

The permanent magnet electric motors and power electronics are maintenance free with an operating life of more than 50,000 hours. The ZEV 22000 battery pack, when operated to the end of its usable capacity, should realise between 15,000 and 30,000 machine hours of service before needing replacement.

The hydraulic supply on the ZEV 22000 is provided by an independent electric motor, therefore the hydraulics operate completely independently of the vehicle travel.

With upgrades to machine vision systems and autonomous control algorithms fitted, the ZEV 22000 provides improved levels of driver assistance and ultimately independent autonomous control with traffic blending, this will also reduce damage and wear from collisions with mine walls and contact with other vehicles.

 

 

New From ZEV: The Autoline VOLTRA

Voltra Landcruiser

Representing the beginning of a paradigm shift in Underground Mining Vehicles, is the innovative Voltra, a battery-electric underground mine utility vehicle designed and built for Autoline Australia by New Zealand specialist heavy electric vehicle manufacturer, Zero Emission Vehicles.

Voltra is a battery electric landcruiser. The first of its kind in Australasia, it is aimed at the underground mining sector where producing emissions in a confined space is hazardous.

While the primary role of the Voltra is for surface to mine logistics, the vehicle is a prelude to what is possible with zero emission vehicles underground.

Maintenance of the vehicle is considerably less than its diesel counterpart. Where hundreds of parts need regular service and replacement with diesel, the permanent magnet motors and power electronics in ZEV vehicles are essentially maintenance free.

To maximise energy efficiency, operator comfort and safety, ZEV has developed a unique multi-channel air conditioning system combined with on-demand power steering.

Much of what is seen on the Voltra is also found on other ZEV vehicles, including the ZEV 14000 battery electric rubbish compacting truck, and the ZEV 22000, a concept 110-tonne electric haul truck designed specifically for underground mining operations.

 

 

The Kodak Moment

OPEC is reported to have raised its 2040 electric vehicle fleet prediction from 46 million vehicles a year ago, to 266 million. It now also says the spread of EVs could dampen sales targets in some parts of Asia as soon as 2018. 
According to one study, the reduced demand for fossil fuels with the uptake of EVs by 2040 will reduce demand for 8 million barrels of oil, more than the current combined production of Iraq and Iran. 
Is this the Kodak moment for car makers when they must decide their direction? The choice is to switch entirely to EV (as Volvo has done) or to continue to produce internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles only, banking on a premise that there will almost certainly always be a demand – albeit majorly reduced – for fossil fuel vehicles.
 
The speed of uptake of EVs is surprising everyone – oil producers, vehicle manufacturers and Governments. And while the majority of new cars sold are ICE vehicles, the increasingly rapid rise in the sale of EVs will see the crossover – that point where EV sales equal and then surpass the sale of ICE vehicles – come around a lot sooner than predictions from as recently as a year ago.
 
Before the crossover comes however, there is another important milestone for ICE manufacturers, the peak. That point where sales demand starts to drop off and the steady decline in units sold sets in. That’s when you’ll see the sweet deals on conventional cars as auto companies compete to retain business.
 
From now until 2040 may seem like a long way off, but to a century-old Automotive industry, it is just another stage in the development of each brand’s relevance to its market.