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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.

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.”

Twenty 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.

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.

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.

 

 

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.