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Biggest Hybrid Truck on the Planet Is Almost Nowhere To Be Seen

BelAZ, the Belarussian mining equipment heavy-weight and constructor of the largest truck on Earth, broke ground on the Plug-In Hybrid heavy hauling dump truck war. The former Soviet (extra) large equipment manufacturer made a 130-tonne truck that is electrically driven and has rechargeable Lithium-ion plug-in batteries and a Diesel generator. 
BelAZ Hybrid Dump Truck 7 photos
Photo: BelAZ
BelAZ Dump TruckBelAZ Dump TruckBelAZ 7513M Hybrid Dump TruckBelAZ 7513M Hybrid Dump TruckBelAZ 7513M Hybrid Dump TruckBelAZ 7513M Hybrid Dump Truck
Apart from its ICE-only relative on which it is based, the hybrid has a less powerful generator (just 720HP/537kW instead of 1.600HP/1.194kW of the Diesel-only truck), but the added 730kW from the batteries make smooth work shifts operations. Moreover, the behemoth doesn't need to recharge its batteries during a regular day's hauling, as the regenerating system act as a battery charger during braking and downhill driving. Just in case, the option to charge the batteries from an external source is provided. Additionally, the electric cells can be swapped altogether for shorter downtimes.

During stationary operations - loading and dumping – the big BelAZ-7513M uses the diesel engine to charge the batteries. Hypothetically, the system allows full-cycle recharging, namely, the energy consumed while the vehicle moves uphill is regenerated when the earth mover is loaded or when it dumps its 130 tons of ore.

An added convenience is the removable batteries, which can be easily replaced. At a client’s request, the dump truck can be delivered without batteries and, once on site, can be fitted with rented ones.

BELAZ plans to manufacture hybrid mining dump trucks in other payload classes, primarily in the popular segments of 90 and 220 tons. According to company officials, the newly produced machine is entirely independent of materials or technologies outside Belarus or Russia. That is to say, the production of the vehicle can not (theoretically) be slowed down or halted by supply chain bottlenecks or even downright economic sanctions (or other forms of economic warfare).

"At the same time, the focus is on energy efficiency. This machine consumes less diesel fuel, which is so valuable for remote regions, where BelAZ equipment is indispensable and always desirable. Reducing the carbon footprint is another feature of the BelAZ 7513-M dump truck. We keep up with the times.” Sergey Nikiforovich, General Director of OJSC BelAZ, claimed.

Ironically, the truck has already been dispatched to a large coal mine for testing. Moreover, there is no information whatsoever about this new model on the manufacturer’s website, although it has been advertised in an official press release by the same company as “a dump truck, which, we believe, will conquer the world.” Apart from (not very conclusive) photos taken earlier this month at the industrial fair where the truck was presented, no other images of the truck are to be found. Still, further info emerged after the truck's unveiling.
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About the author: Razvan Calin
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After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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