CanmetMINING battery electric vehicle field test series: Relay utility vehicle

Abstract

ABSTRACT Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been used increasingly in Canadian mines to replace conventional internal combustion engine vehicles due to their high efficiency, low heat production, and zero emissions locally. To help understand BEV technology, performance, and energy consumed under different work conditions, CanmetMINING and CanmetENERGY conducted a series of tests on the Miller Technology Relay BEV at Vale’s North Mine site in Ontario, Canada. The 1.25-km test route comprises uphill and downhill sections with flat (0%), 5%, 10%, and 20% inclination grades. The BEV was driven through the route in both directions to complete multiple 2.5-km laps at 5 and 15 km/h while loaded and empty. This paper presents test results normalized by distance, including energy consumed and captured tabulated by inclination grade, speed, and load. The consumed and captured energy ranged from −1.4 to 4.5 kWh/km at 5 km/h and from −2.0 to 3.7 kWh/km at 15 km/h. The battery charging data and variation in state of charge are also presented to describe the energy balance during BEV operation. A vehicle energy model calibrated against the field test data was used to estimate the energy consumption of a utility BEV operated in an underground mine.