Rio Tinto and BHP are working together to test battery-electric transport trucks in the Pilbara

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PERTH, Australia – In an industry first, Rio Tinto and BHP will collaborate to test large battery-electric truck technology in the Pilbara, Western Australia, to accelerate the potential for its future deployment.

The two companies will work with manufacturers Caterpillar and Komatsu to conduct independent testing of their battery-electric trucks, including testing of battery, static and dynamic charging systems, to assess performance and productivity in the Pilbara environment.

The collaboration reflects individual commitments by BHP, Rio Tinto, Komatsu and Caterpillar to support Rio Tinto and BHP's shared ambition to achieve net operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

As part of the partnership, two Cat 793 haul trucks will be tested from the second half of 2024, and two Komatsu 930 haul trucks will be tested at mine sites in Western Australia's Pilbara region from 2026.

Caterpillar and Komatsu will each supply one truck to both BHP and Rio Tinto for these tests. BHP will test the Caterpillar trucks, while Rio Tinto will test the Komatsu trucks. The results of the trials will be shared between BHP and Rio Tinto.

These trials represent the first phase of battery-electric truck testing at BHP and Rio Tinto's Pilbara operations.

With every manufacturer, the truck and battery design is expected to be continuously tested, developed and refined. This will determine the approach for testing a greater number of transport trucks and the potential deployment of battery-electric transport truck fleets in each company's operations.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said: “This collaboration brings together two leading global miners with two of the world's largest transport truck manufacturers to work on solving the crucial challenge of zero-emission transport.

“There is no clear path to net zero without zero-emission transport, so it is important that we work together to get there as quickly and efficiently as possible. Testing two types of battery-electric trucks in Pilbara conditions will provide better data, and by combining our efforts with BHP we will accelerate the learning process.

“As we work to power our Pilbara operations with renewable energy, collaborations like this bring us closer to solving the shared challenge of decarbonizing our operations and meeting our net-zero commitments.”

BHP president Australia Geraldine Slattery said: “Operational decarbonisation relies on breakthroughs in technology and partnerships like these will help drive our industry forward. We are pleased to be working with Rio Tinto, Caterpillar and Komatsu on these trials.

“Replacing diesel as a fuel source requires us to develop an entirely new operational ecosystem surrounding the fleet. We need to think about the way we plan our mines, operate our transportation networks and take into account the additional safety and operational considerations that these changes bring. This is why trials are so critical to our success as we try to test and learn how these new technologies will work in practice and be integrated into our mines.

“We have already seen a step-change in operational greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and 2 by switching part of our offering to renewable electricity, and we want to build on that progress by developing battery-electric technology to reduce diesel consumption to decrease. in all our activities.”

Note to editors

In 2021, Rio Tinto and BHP partnered with both Caterpillar and Komatsu to support the development and validation of their prototype battery-electric transport trucks. The trucks in these tests are based on these prototypes.

Carbon emissions from diesel consumption in our mining equipment and rail fleet were responsible for 12% of Rio Tinto's Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2023.

Carbon emissions from diesel combustion accounted for approximately 40% of BHP's Scope 1 and 2 emissions in FY2020.

Press release from Rio Tinto.