Shell has established a nine-member consortium to create a new pilot offering of electrification solutions for mining sites. Skeleton, Microvast, Stäubli, Carnegie Robotics, Heliox, Spirae, Alliance Automation, Worley and Shell have come together to introduce Shell’s Mining Electrification Solutions for Off-Road Vehicles—an end-to-end and interoperable electrification system that reduces emissions without compromising on efficiency or safety, while aiming to be cost_competitive versus diesel-powered operations.

The pilot offer combines an innovative, high-powered energy storage solution with ultrafast charging and a standardized micro-grid energy system where the required solution can be complemented with renewable electricity generation on-site or through the grid.

As an alternative energy source, electrification offers off-road industries the immediate potential to shift away from a long-standing reliance on diesel. For hard-to-abate sectors such as mining, this is critical, since mobile equipment comprises between 40 and 50% of mining’s CO₂ emissions.

By 2030, it is estimated that a battery-electric haulage truck will: lower total cost of ownership (TCO); involve 20% lower maintenance costs; and incur 40% lower fuel costs than existing diesel trucks.

Shell’s Mining Electrification Solutions for Off-Road Vehicles consists of:

• Power provisioning and microgrids: aim to provide a consistent and reliable supply of renewable power in a safe and stable manner

• Ultra-fast charging: taking approximately 90 seconds via flexible, hardwearing and resilient, on-site, ultrafast charge-points, which provide assets with continuous operations in the most challenging of environments

• In-vehicle energy storage: through a combination of advanced battery and capacitor technologies that aim to deliver long lifetimes, ultra-fast charging and high performance

As a result, mining operators are set to benefit from an integrated electrification solution that:

• Is end-to-end, covering the full journey of the electron from generation to delivery in the drive train

• Is interoperable between different Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) make and models, giving mining operators greater flexibility

• Is modular in design to allow mining customers the opportunity to tailor solutions to their specific needs

• Reduces emissions without compromising on operational efficiency or safety