Open-Pit Mining

The right question in fleet selection is not "what tonnage should I buy". It is: at this grade, this haul distance and this material density, how many machines of which class does the target tonnage per shift require.

What we measure

• Average and maximum grade of the haul road, in both directions
• One-way haul distance and the condition of the road surface
• Ore and waste density, which sets the useful body volume
• Loading-tool capacity and cycle time
• Shift count, effective operating hours and the service-stop plan

Why payload differs from the number in the model name

On wide-body platforms the number in the model name usually refers to gross vehicle weight, not to the load the machine carries. On the 135 platform, GVW is 135 t and payload is 90 t. Any calculation that treats the two as the same underestimates the fleet size required by roughly a third.

Diesel, battery or range-extended

The energy choice comes down to three things: the elevation change on the haul route, which determines how much energy is recoverable on the descent; the site's power and charging infrastructure; and shift length. A mine with significant elevation change and stable power is the strongest case for battery-electric. A site running long shifts with no charging infrastructure sits closer to range-extended.