Fortescue’s 6 MW electric vehicle charger surprises the electric vehicle and mining industries

The 6 MW chargers will be used to charge the huge 1.9 megawatt-hour batteries that power the power systems for the massive 240-ton electric dump trucks, which the company says will be able to do in just half an hour.

“Fortescue has developed the stationary fast-charging solution to support the autonomous battery-electric truck,” the company said this week. “Equipped with robotic connectivity, the charger can provide up to 6 MW of power and charge the current battery-electric T 264 in 30 minutes.”

And there weren't many more details than that, and Fortescue declined to comment further. The company's newly released Climate Transition Report reveals only that it expects to roll out the new 6MW chargers in 2026.

For comparison, the largest chargers launched to date were ABB's megawatt chargers, which, according to the manufacturer, have the potential to achieve charging capacities of up to 3.75 megawatts at 3,000 amps.

And if Fortescue is correct in its assessment of the scale and speed of charging its trucks, it raises the question of what role hydrogen trucks could play in such an environment. Fortescue continues to test them, but BHP has already written off the idea.

Fortescue will purchase 360 ​​T 264 battery-powered electric dump trucks from Leibherr as part of the $4 billion deal, the largest single contract the two companies have ever signed.

In addition, there are 60 electric bulldozers that the company is currently developing together with Liebherr – also with drive and battery systems from Fortescue – and 52 other electric excavators that are already being used successfully in the company's mines.

The package is part of Fortescue's ambitious goal to achieve “true zero” in its terrestrial operations at its massive iron ore mines in the Pilbara region. The company currently burns more than a billion litres of diesel a year for its transportation needs and will replace its gas and diesel generators with wind, solar and battery storage.

Under Fortescue's leadership, the other major mining companies are also being brought into the battery-electric era. BHP and Rio Tinto are working together on their own electrification plans and have begun testing both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks, and are planning solar, wind and battery projects at their mines.

“The T 264 battery-electric truck, powered by a Fortescue Zero battery power system, will be one of the first zero-emission solutions for mine transport in the world,” Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto said in a statement.

“It combines Fortescue Zero’s heritage of innovation, offering a battery power system designed for best-in-class range and durability in all mining environments, with the proven top performance of Liebherr mining trucks.

“The zero-emission battery power system developed by Fortescue Zero also reflects Fortescue’s continued development into a leading technology company selling its innovative solutions worldwide.”