The inhalation of diesel vehicle exhaust gases is a significant health risk for mine workers. Often lung and respiratory diseases are the result of many years of underground activity. To reduce the risks, mining and tunneling vehicle specialist Emsbürener Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik GmbH has developed electric and hybrid mining vehicles in partnership with Danfoss Mobile Electrification. Customer deliveries are to begin soon.

In Canada, the use of diesel vehicles in first mines has already been banned. With the MinCa 5.1, the family-owned company Paus is now offering for the first time a universal vehicle for mining as a hybrid or electric variant, which corresponds to the trend towards locally emission-free underground mining. With its compact dimensions and a payload of 1.2 tons, it is particularly suitable for passenger and material transport in mines.

The electric drive train system EDITRON is supplied by Danfoss Mobile Electrification for the all-wheel-drive off-highway vehicle MinCa 5.1 in two variants:

• A pure electric drive with 50 kW electric motor and a 50 kWh battery system for 3-4 hours of work.

• A hybrid drive with 50 kW electric motor, a range extender and 20 kWh battery system for 12 hours of work.

In addition to the health protection of mine workers, customers based in, for example, North and South America, Russia or Australia benefit from up to 50% lower fuel costs for construction site work. In addition, the abandonment of diesel vehicles generally improves air quality, so the cost of ventilation systems can also be minimized.

The universal vehicle MinCa 5.1 is produced in Emsbüren and has been on the market for two years as a diesel vehicle. The electric and hybrid version, which was developed and tested in cooperation with Paus and Danfoss in recent months, is now going into series production. The first copies of the four-wheel drive vehicle will be delivered to customers of the two companies later this year.

Danfoss Mobile Electrification, part of Danfoss Power Solutions, is a specialist in smart electric and hybrid powertrains for marine, commercial and heavy-duty vehicles based in Lappeenranta, Finland. Danfoss Mobile Electrification was created following the acquisition of Danfoss’ original Visedo Oy company, founded in 2009, in December 2017. The drives are suitable for hybrids and electrical systems in the 30 to 2,000 kilowatt power range.