Charge On electrification initiative enters phase two

The preliminary phase of entry and sign-up saw 350 companies joins the challenge as vendors who will now pitch their ideas to companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale.

BHP’s Charge On Innovation Challenge project lead Scott Davis said it was amazing to witness the global reach of the initiative.

“The Charge On Innovation Challenge is a great example of the current collaborative work being done by the mining industry in seeking solutions to decarbonise mining fleets,” Davis said.

“The challenge received interest from companies based in over 20 countries, showing the truly global reach of the opportunity to help reduce haul-truck emissions.”

Only the most broadly applicable and useful solutions will be chosen by the major mining vendors, to tackle issues such as time taken to charge mine trucks.

Rio Tinto’s lead for the Charge On Innovation Challenge John Mulcahy said time was of the essence in getting initiatives like this to create real change.

“Together we’re encouraging technology innovators to help us introduce large-scale haul truck electrification solutions,” Mulcahy said.

“The sooner we bring these technologies to market, the sooner we can introduce them to our fleet and reduce emissions.”

Vale’s Charge On Innovation Challenge project lead Mauricio Duarte said the collaborative angle of the challenge was the most integral part in overcoming problems like sustainability.

“We are very happy with the results of the first phase of the project. It’s still early to talk about the success of the challenge, but it is clear that the industry has reached a new level: we worked together on a common sustainability agenda, and we will work collectively to reach our goals, gaining safety and speed on our way to low carbon mining,” Duarte said.