Diesel-powered trucks being converted to run on electric batteries and hydrogen in an effort to combat emissions

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The push to lower emissions from Australia's mining industry is seeing the emergence of new technologies. And the race is on to find the best solution, with diesel-powered trucks being converted to run on electric batteries and hydrogen.

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00:00It's big, green and fully electric.

00:09This truck used to guzzle 64 litres of diesel an hour.

00:13Its electric conversion cost $2.5 million.

00:17And it's exactly the same as though it's a Tesla, except instead of having one of them,

00:22you've got six of them.

00:24Electrical engineer Clayton Franklin has worked with some of the mining industry's giants,

00:29including billionaire Andrew Forrest's Fortescue, which this month began trialling a hydrogen-powered

00:34truck in the Pilbara.

00:37It's all part of the push towards cutting emissions by the end of the decade.

00:41You burn through, for this truck, $650,000, $700,000 worth of fuel a year.

00:48And how long does it take to charge that 777 over there?

00:51So we can charge 777 in less than 50 minutes.

00:54And this team is betting it's electric that will replace the diesel machines that form

00:58the backbone of the mining industry.

01:01Knowing that there's a step change needed, so yeah, we're hoping that a greener planet

01:06with greener trucks and we'll still be there making green truck bodies.

01:10Clean, green, cheaper.

01:12A potentially cheaper option for a big money industry.

01:16Tara DeLandgraft, ABC News, Kalgoorlie.

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