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The new electric-drive Komatsu PC9000-12 is the largest hydraulic excavator in the brand’s storied history, capable of moving a massive, 80 tons of material, per pass – at a rate of more than 8,000 tons per hour of operation.
Following a successful deployment at Suncor’s Fort Hills oil sands mine in Alberta, Canada (boo) last May, Komatsu’s two million lb. monster excavator is now available for global sales and deliveries. The company says the new machine will help large-scale mining operations hit higher productivity, efficiency, and cost per ton goals while delivering the performance, and reliability they’ve come to expect from the brand’s previous PC8000 line.
Designed to operate in the world’s toughest mining environments, the PC9000-12 can be configured with grid-connected electric drive for maximum power with minimal emissions, noise, and vibrations.
“The PC9000-12 sets a new benchmark for global surface mining operations,” explains Peter Buhles, Komatsu Vice President, Sales and Service. “With its versatile configurations – including face shovel and backhoe, as well as diesel and electric drive options – we can efficiently serve all major mining operations worldwide. The PC9000-12 delivers the power, performance and reliability our customers expect, while supporting higher productivity, lower emissions per ton and seamless integration with autonomous haulage systems.”
The grid-connected excavator is just what it says on the tin, in that there’s a big, thick, high-voltage trailing cable that “plugs in” to available power, sending nearly 20 Tesla Superchargers’ worth of current to a pair of massive electric motors putting out a positively mind-bending 4 MW of power – that’s well over 5,300 hp to you and me, and worthy of its own substation, in many cases.
The Komatsu PC9000-12 is designed for efficient double-side loading and is compatible and integrated with the company’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System to help speed up repetitive tasks and streamline operations while minimizing the need for additional operators. As of 02APR, the machine is now available for global delivery through Komatsu’s standard global dealer and delivery network.
Electrek’s Take
With billions of dollars on the line and pressure to reduce fuel spending coming from all sides, it should come as no surprise that the race is on to bring practical, electric, and even autonomous heavy mining equipment to market. The good news is that electric machines are ready, proven, and analysts like IDTechEx estimate that a single 150-ton haul truck can use over $850,000 worth of fuel in a single year.
Meanwhile, big electric locomotives like the Fortescue Infinity Train can, in certain use cases with high amounts of regenerative braking, operate without any significant cost to recharge. At that point, the reduced maintenance and downtime of BEVs compared to diesel vehicles becomes icing on the TCO cake, and these vehicles become no-brainers.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Komatsu, via Heavy Equipment Guide.
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