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Originally Posted by aerostealth
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Large vehicles have been electric for some time. The electric powertrain is smoother and causes less transmission problems.
Getting a dragline to run without dragging around a power cable is a bit more challenging. But they are working on it. The advantages and safety of NOT dragging a power cable are so large ...
Our mining machines are about 1250 HP. The sections that run too slowly to effectively run on electric, have electric motors driving hydraulic pumps, which drive the mechanical tracks at ... maybe 1 foot per minute ... something like that. No one around here is looking to convert this to battery electric as yet. The battery pack is just too darned large to run it for a 12 hour shift.
Our scoop trams, or haulers, are a big diesel engine driving a hydraulic pump. The 7 foot diameter wheels are driven hydraulically, the 6 yard bucket is raised/lowered and articulated with hydraulics. Changing that out to an electric motor, a controller, and a big battery pack to drive the hydraulic pump instead is under way ... but like every other EV conversion, the battery costs are up-front. So you need to budget 10 years worth of fuel to pay for 20 years of lower maintenance and lower-speed charging.
We're getting there. Not near as fast as some would like. WAY faster than others would like.