Electric Commercial Vehicles, a ten year update – Part 3
by ISLANDBOY posted on 05/09/2019
a guest post by islandboyOver ten years ago on April 9, 2009 the original article “Electric Commercial Vehicles” was posted at The Oil Drum web site. In Part 1 of this ten year update we reviewed the progress or lack thereof, of all the projects mentioned in the 2009 article, concluding that while some had failed, there are some that have survived and are still supplying solutions today. In Part 2 we examined the policies being implemented in China to accelerate the development of an EV manufacturing sector. We also looked at some projects that have come about since the 2009 article, with the aim of the transitioning of commercial vehicles to options that reduce or eliminate the direct dependence on Fossil Fuels.
In this post, we will look at some solutions that were overlooked in the 2009 article but, have been in use for decades, in some cases, primarily the case of trolleybuses and trams or streetcars as they are known in North America, over a hundred years. It should also be noted that all underground rail systems are electric, as are all high speed rail networks and many light rail and commuter rail networks but, these articles will be restricted to road going commercial vehicles as electrified rail has been addressed extensively by Alan S. Drake who went by the screen name AlanfromBigEasy at theoildrum.com...
... Sandvik DD422iE units helping Goldcorp achieve first all-electric mine at Borden
Goldcorp has designed Borden Lake to become the world’s first all-electric underground mine when it reaches commercial production next year, an undertaking the company expects to not only help minimise community and environmental impact but also improve health and safety for employees – all while boosting Goldcorp’s bottom line.
By the time Borden is in full production, there will be no diesel-powered equipment underground. A combination of tethered electric and quick-charge battery-powered equipment will comprise the entire fleet. By eliminating diesel underground and fully electrifying Borden, Goldcorp anticipates a 70% reduction in greenhouse gases and annual savings of 2 million litres of diesel fuel and 1 million litres of propane. The company also expects to save 35,000 megawatt hours of electricity yearly, due in large part to drastically reduced ventilation needs.
Goldcorp senior project engineer Maarten van Koppen: “Electrification is the ultimate win-win, especially complemented by innovations like ventilation on demand and full connectivity. The main benefits that we see with going electric are certainly the elimination of fuel, reduced maintenance, reduced greenhouse gases, reduced power consumption, and of course the biggest one is the elimination of diesel particulate matter in underground environments, which is hugely beneficial to the health of the workforce. We were able to eliminate a return air raise and our intake raise, we could reduce the diameter from five metres to four metres, so there’s big cost savings to be had if you set it up right from the get-go.”
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