The Practical Path to Mine Electrification: Starting Small, Scaling Smart

In mining, revolutionary change rarely happens overnight. The sector's measured approach to innovation is a pragmatic reality reflecting considerable capital investment in equipment with decades-long lifecycles.

Did you know that successful transformations in mining can begin with a single vehicle? By retrofitting just one haul truck, operations can immediately experience substantial performance improvements including improved torque delivery and superior acceleration that translate directly to the bottom line.

At Alta Technology, we've designed our PureTraction™ ecosystem specifically for this reality, enabling operations to begin their electrification journey today while building toward tomorrow's fully electrified, autonomous mine.

Modular solutions that evolve with your operation

There's no need to retrofit an entire fleet simultaneously or build out comprehensive charging infrastructure before seeing returns. The electric ecosystem builds naturally over time.

1. First truck retrofit establishes baseline performance improvements and validates the solution against site-specific conditions
2. Phased fleet implementation can be aligned with maintenance schedules and capital expenditure planning
3. Charging infrastructure evolves alongside the growing electrified fleet
4. Data ecosystem maturation enables increasingly sophisticated optimisation

Each phase delivers standalone value while building toward the ultimate vision of a fully electrified operation with autonomous capabilities, renewable energy integration, and comprehensive data optimisation. It is only at the end of this process that full battery electric vehicles become viable across the board, backed by infrastructure, tech maturity, and operational readiness.

Scale with Confidence

Alta’s suggested solution eliminates the traditional "rip and replace" approach which is costly and time consuming. Instead, you can begin realising performance benefits immediately while maintaining complete flexibility to incorporate emerging technologies as they mature.

Phased implementation aligned with existing maintenance cycles

By performing retrofit installations during planned overhauls, it eliminates the need for additional downtime that would impact production. This respects your operation's rhythms and allows for strategic planning of capital expenditure, with each truck's conversion coinciding with its regular maintenance cycle. The five-year overhaul window becomes an opportunity not just for standard maintenance, but for performance enhancement through electrification.

Scalable battery capacity

The retrofit begins with a proven lower kWh system that delivers immediate performance improvements while minimising upfront investment. As battery technology evolves, subsequent updates can leverage higher energy densities, faster charging capabilities, and longer lifecycles. Systems can scale significantly, enabling up to 20 full haul trips on a single charge.

Compatible charging infrastructure

Your charging ecosystem can grow in perfect alignment with your electrified fleet. Initial static charging systems require minimal infrastructure changes while delivering substantial benefits. As fleet electrification advances, you can strategically implement dynamic charging solutions embedded in haul roads and loading zones.

The performance advantage that drives ROI

While regulatory ESG compliance creates urgency, it's the performance advantages of hybrid systems that deliver compelling ROI including:

• Reduction in idle fuel consumption – hybrid systems allow power-off during idle periods without the restart issues that plague traditional diesel engines
• Significantly higher torque output translates to faster acceleration on grades and higher average speeds which could allow for additional loads
• Enhanced reliability through reduced mechanical complexity – fewer moving parts mean less downtime and maintenance.

We modelled the benefits on a single hybrid retrofitted CAT 777 with our analysis showing it consistently delivers greater capacity through faster haul cycles and reduced idle time. And when we calculated the cumulative effect across a year of operations, the productivity gains alone justified the investment, with the fuel savings and emissions reductions (approximately 15%) almost a bonus.

And by layering in electrification technologies, you're gaining a measurable competitive edge in productivity, reliability, and operational efficiency and building the base for a fully electric future.