this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2026
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Electric Vehicles
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Most open pit mining uses self charging electric trucks. They harvest energy from the full load while descending, then use that energy to get back up the mountain. But it's not efficient at lower temperature because lithium chemistry is crap at low temps. Sodium chemistry works to -40C without needing to heat the battery. The batteries are not very energy dense, so ok for a big truck.
Do they do this because mining cares about the environment? Fuck no, it's cheaper.
Isn't the pit downward, and they have to bring the load up?
Typically they blow off the top of a mountain and carry the load down.
That is until they have taken the mountain down to surrounding elevation and keep going....
Only when the orebody happens to be on the top of a mountain. Plenty of deep pits to haul up out of as well, but an overhead lines+pantograph setup allows you to use grid power for the hard bit and battery power for the easy bits on the level.
Most mining operations use diesel trucks.
Caterpillar has been making electric trucks for years. Sandvik, Leibherr, Hitachi and Scania as well. Because mines use them.
That 798 still burns diesel.
Because trucks need to move from location to location empty.
The truck in the OP also needs to do empty hauls, yet it does not burn diesel.
It uses an electric motor but it's powered by a diesel engine. It does have electric retarding braking but I don't see anything saying that energy is harvested and stored in a battery.
https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/off-highway-trucks/mining-trucks/15970073.html
So the put a regenerative motor in a truck just to not use the energy. Ok boss.
Look at the specs on the site I linked boss