From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 290 New Energy Heavy Trucks That Will Disrupt the Industry
The so-called "perpetual motion mining card" was not officially commercialized until 20 to 21 years later.

Battery module technology and energy density have gradually matured before being widely adopted in heavy industrial transportation engineering.

Well known.

New energy vehicles are inherently advantageous in terms of kinetic energy recovery and power generation. They can generate electricity by utilizing gravitational potential energy during deceleration, braking, and downhill sections.

Based on the law of conservation of energy, the proportion of electricity consumed uphill is much greater than the proportion of kinetic energy recovered and generated downhill.

However, after the first batch of new energy heavy trucks were put into service, some people were surprised to find that in industrial scenarios such as mines, new energy heavy trucks are simply an invincible magic weapon!

An empty truck carries a load of a dozen tons uphill and comes down fully loaded with 100 tons.

It's like getting Earth's gravitational potential energy for free.

Sun Pengfei and his team are currently leading the development of a three-electric architecture specifically designed for mining card scenarios.

The motor is a larger version of the V6 motor, which has been optimized for kinetic energy recovery efficiency and internal heat dissipation. In addition, the long cycle life of lithium iron phosphate is also very suitable for industrial use. Even if you drive 200,000 to 300,000 kilometers a year, you don't have to worry too much about battery degradation.

……

Zhu Yanfeng initially had some doubts about this project.

New energy vehicles already have limited range, and large mining trucks need to be fully loaded with ore, which consumes an extremely high amount of energy.

Can kinetic energy recovery alone make up for it?
Upon receiving the team's report that the engineering prototype vehicle, jointly developed by both parties, had been officially launched, I immediately decided to go and see it for myself.

This time, both teams specifically chose an open-air abandoned mine for testing.

can be seen.

A behemoth with a sophisticated industrial design stood there quietly!

The overall design is that of a self-unloading mining truck, with a very "engineering-like" appearance and a clear focus on functionality!
However, unlike other new energy mining trucks and diesel mining trucks, the new energy heavy truck designed by Xingchen did not choose to lay the battery pack under the chassis. Instead, a space was specially designed behind the cab to store the battery.

The entire power battery pack was stacked vertically in a rectangular arrangement behind the driver's seat.

At first glance, it looks like he's carrying a large, dark steel backpack.

And that's exactly right. This super-square backpack is packed with 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and the battery pack alone weighs a whopping 3 tons!
The wheels are configured with a 2-in-1 configuration in the front and 8-in-1 in the rear, with tires over two meters in diameter. The huge, square grille on the front exudes an invisible aura of dominance!
Although the Xingchen still uses the "Dongfeng DFL3310B2" platform for its overall vehicle structure, the two teams have made adjustments to the appearance. Aesthetically speaking, it is far superior to other new energy heavy trucks on the market with outdated architectures and designs that are still in the exploratory stage!

Zhu Yanfeng arrived with Zhang Xiaofan, the deputy general manager in charge. When he saw the car, he couldn't help but be shocked!
Good guy.

This aura is even stronger than their military version of the Dongfeng Mengshi!

Of course, the two are not in the same tonnage class at all.

However, he had to admit that the design revised by the Starry Sky team perfectly matched his aesthetic vision of a "steel behemoth".

The design exudes a sense of power and engineering aesthetics.

Dongfeng Motor Group has been involved in heavy trucks and large vehicles for many years, so they have a basic aesthetic sense regarding large vehicles.

Is there any specialization in the art industry?

They're not good at designing passenger cars, but when it comes to special vehicles, Dongfeng has a long history in China.

At this moment, Zhu Yanfeng gave a thumbs up to the design of the star.

"Mr. Xu, have you had any experience with special industrial vehicles before?" he asked, puzzled.

Xu Yi shook his head: "No, it's mainly because the R&D team is very enthusiastic. They referenced Caterpillar's style during the design process and sent me some sample images. We made adjustments as we developed the product..."

Let's not talk about the CEO of Dongfeng.

Even he was slightly shocked when he saw this "giant" in front of him!
The total weight is 105 tons, with a load capacity of 65 tons!
External dimensions: 9460×3640×4300mm!

A true "hundred-ton king"!
Just looking at it makes me hard!
The fist hardened!
I couldn't wait to climb up and drive it hard, to drive up the mine and haul down hundreds of tons of ore.

Men are born with the desire to control such industrial behemoths.

"We've incorporated a highly efficient heat dissipation design into the K105E battery pack, specifically tailored for complex environments and open-pit mines. It features a self-heating and liquid cooling system, ensuring stable performance even in extreme temperatures. The three-electric system boasts a protection rating of IP68+IP6K9K, allowing for stable operation whether it's at 70 degrees Celsius or below -40 degrees Celsius..."

Sun Pengfei introduced this three-electric system.

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are not as cold-resistant as ternary lithium batteries, so the industrial thermal management system integrated into the battery pack is specifically designed to cope with extreme operating conditions.

The requirements for industrialization are much higher than those for passenger cars.

However, there are no restrictions on design space, and with ample budget, there is plenty of room to showcase one's talents.

To meet the needs of industrial scenarios, they also specially added a three-speed automatic transmission that matches the motor, with a climbing gear that amplifies low-speed torque and increases the maximum climbing angle. The climbing power is more than twice as strong as that of traditional diesel heavy trucks!
The advantages of industrial motors are fully realized in this industrial setting.

Sun Pengfei added, "This truck has an unloaded range of 250-300 kilometers, while when fully loaded with 100 tons, the range is estimated to be around 150 kilometers..." The power consumption of a mining truck when fully loaded is extremely high, close to 3 kWh/km.

Even with a 600-degree battery, the range under full load will not exceed 300 kilometers.

Zhu Yanfeng silently estimated the difference between it and the diesel mining truck. Based on the conventional 1,000-liter fuel tank of the diesel mining truck, the range on a full tank is several times that of the pure electric mining truck.

Of course, battery life is not the focus today.

In terms of traditional mining truck operation scenarios, a round trip in a typical mine is only a dozen to several tens of kilometers. Even new energy vehicles can run this route, but charging is too frequent and slow, making it uneconomical. Currently, this type of vehicle is still largely untapped in the market.

Why have they been developing new energy industrial heavy trucks and new energy special vehicles from last year to this year?
The reason is simply the word "environmental protection".

This is a standard imposed by the state.

For mine owners, "environmental protection" is a difficult issue, as some regions have restrictions on air pollution control and the use of high-emission machinery.

There are also new local plans that propose new energy transportation options for freight vehicles.

Purchasing new energy vehicles entitles you to subsidies, while not purchasing new energy vehicles clearly violates the higher authorities' regulations for "green mines."

Therefore, even though new energy heavy trucks are twice as expensive as traditional diesel heavy trucks and have a much shorter range, there is still a steady demand in the industry.

“Why don’t we check the heavy load situation first? If it can really generate electricity on a downhill slope under full load, then mines that meet the requirements of the scenario will probably have to replace the vehicles!” Vice President Zhang Xiaofan interjected. He is the head of the special commercial vehicle business unit of Dongfeng Group.

Prior to this, the prototype vehicle had already been tested for energy consumption and kinetic energy recovery under light loads.

However, he still had some doubts about what Xingchen Fang said.

The open-pit mine they found this time perfectly matched the scenario planned by both parties.

The total transportation operation is 30 kilometers long, 80% of which are long uphill sections. Even if it generates 70% or 80% of the electricity, let alone 100%, how much fuel would be saved?

It meets local regulations for "green mines" while also saving costs!
Won't they be snapped up like crazy?
Xu Yi nodded in acknowledgment.

A staff member then got into the driver's seat, and the prototype vehicle began its first simulated operation with a loud rumble.

Before starting the vehicle, the driver took a photo to report the current range, which was around 80%.

Zhu Yanfeng watched as the new energy mining truck, which the two sides had jointly developed in a very short time, started up.

Soon after, the heavy excavators on the mine also began to work.

"Mr. Xu, how much have you improved the kinetic energy recovery of this mining truck?" he asked curiously.

"We designed three levels of energy recovery: light, medium, and heavy. The heavy level is much more efficient than that of passenger cars, but the low and medium levels are less efficient than the energy recovery in passenger cars," Xu Yi answered truthfully.

This was the guiding principle he provided, and he also has a thorough understanding of kinetic energy recovery.

"Huh? Why are the remaining two levels of regenerative braking less efficient than those in passenger cars? Shouldn't there be more of these?"

Zhu Yanfeng was clearly taken aback. New energy mining trucks already have short battery life, and now they're even reducing recycling capacity?
But what Xu Yi said next left him completely speechless!

"I'm afraid I'll overcharge the battery and cause it to explode."

Xu Yi said with a smile.

This is very abstract.

But it's not impossible!!
In this day and age, this is definitely little-known fact.

For ordinary new energy vehicles, if they drive down a long slope for over 100 kilometers in one go, the energy recovery rate can charge the battery from 40% to 85%.

This is arguably the most enjoyable moment for owners of new energy vehicles, as going downhill not only avoids wearing out brake pads but also allows them to gain free battery power.

Gasoline-powered cars wear out brake pads and oil very quickly when going downhill.

Now look at the wide-body mining truck in front of us.

80% of the road is uphill; a light load of a dozen tons can become a hundred tons of potential energy when fully loaded!

They implemented a 95% kinetic energy recovery safety line to prevent such overflow from occurring.

As the two were talking, the mining truck on the mountain was also fully loaded and began its downhill journey under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The huge tires kicked up dust and left rolling tire tracks on the ground.

You can feel the oppressive presence of the "hundred-ton king" even from more than ten meters away!

(End of this chapter)