Local primary school students were recently given the opportunity to visit Qube’s Picton maintenance facility, where they were among the first to see newly designed trailers featuring artwork from a recent competition.
Qube announced in October last year that it would be trialling a bulk electric haulage vehicle with its customer Talison Lithium, along the Talison Haulage Route from the Greenbushes Lithium Operation to the Port of Bunbury.
Talison is the world’s leading supplier of lithium mineral concentrate.
The soon to begin trial will feature a fully electric prime mover with a double trailing set, which, once in operation, will be among the largest on-road electric truck combinations in the world – with a GCM of 150 tonne.
The trial will determine the vehicle’s viability on Talison’s haulage routes by evaluating truck range under load, cycle times and battery recharging process, economic feasibility, and community impact/benefits.
To celebrate the trial’s announcement, Qube and Talison ran a sustainability-themed competition, where students, aged 12 years and under, in the Southwest and Warren-Blackwood regions of Western Australia were asked to design a trailer wrap for the vehicle, answering the question: “What does a greener future look like to me?”
Qube says it was looking for an inspiring design to feature on the new fully electric prime mover – and the competition had a fantastic response.
Students Willa, Mike, and Blayne for picked up first, second and third places.
As the winner of the competition, Willa’s class at Bridgetown Primary School got to see her drawing come to life.
Now the newly designed trailers will soon be seen on roads across the South West.
Qube’s Director of Bulk, Todd Emmert said the truck will be a valuable addition to the Qube fleet in Western Australia.
He says Qube and Talison will work together to trial a zero emissions alternative to a standard diesel prime mover in an environment that ultimately could be replicable elsewhere across the company’s operations.
“This BHEV will be equipped with a robust renewable battery, which can be swapped in just four minutes and will be recharged using renewable energy at Qube’s state-of-the-art facility in Picton, home to the largest battery of its kind in the southern hemisphere.”
Qube’s Picton facility, where the BEHV’s battery charging station is located, is currently powered by a 400 kWhr solar system, supported by a 300 kWhr Battery Energy Storage System.
The new prime mover is equipped with a 540kW/720-horsepower electric motor and 2500Nm of torque.