Komatsu's latest lineup of EDTs

The Result is Electric

Big fuel savings
Komatsu’s latest lineup of electric drive trucks offers operators improved fuel efficiency, lower emissions, enhanced safety features and greater payloads.

The lineup of EDTs 830E-5, 930E-5 and 980E-5, all built with high-performance Komatsu Tier 4 Final engines with a gross horsepower of 2,500 hp, 2,700 hp and 3,500 hp, respectively.

In addition to the launch of Komatsu’s Tier 4 lineup of EDT products from 2018 to 2020, the company also made enhancements to improve fuel consumption on most models.

We removed the main blower that cools the alternator, the wheel motors and the control cabinet. Because of these changes, now the big blower intended to cool the alternator does exactly that. "We now have separate blowers that cool the wheel motors and the main control cabinet,” explains Joe Shoemaker, director of Product Management, EDTs, Komatsu North America Region.

Between the new on-demand cooling system and the Tier 4 Final engines, Shoemaker says the latest series of EDTs now delivers between five to seven per cent fuel improvement. “We’re seeing across the board in Canada and the U.S. significant fuel economy with the electric drive. With Komatsu’s drive towards green technology, the electric wheel platform technology is the easiest way to get there,” says Gord King, manager for mining sales at SMS Equipment.

A new generation of technology - Trolley assist

Another critical feature rolled out for the EDTs is Komatsu’s Trolley- assist package, introduced to the 830E-5.

“The 830E-5 is the first model we focused on, but have a full roadmap to we’re actually developing a roadmap to implement trolley- assist capabilities on all of our new -5 products,” Shoemaker says. “That will be coming over the next two years.

”One significant benefit of a trolley assist package is fuel savings. With trolley assist, Shoemaker says operators can reduce fuel consumption by as high as 70 per cent because you’re using electricity from an overhead line to power the truck.

“They’ve been designed to be quieter with less parasitic loads. Everything before was direct drive, and now it’s power on-demand. Less parasitic loads reduce overall fuel burn,” Kingsays.

Another benefit of trolley assist is speed and performance

“The design of the EDT wheel motors have much more horsepower utilization than the engine in the truck. Electrification through trolley-assist allows the equipment to draw power from a cleaner source and use the energy they’re getting off the engine. So, when you go to the overhead lines, you essentially use all the power available from the wheel motors so we can get up to 70 per cent increase in speed upgrades,” Shoemaker says.

Most of Komatsu’s trucks could run between six to eight miles an hour, and he adds that the grade can go up to almost double that. "You get additional speed which means additional production,” Shoemaker says.

Experts in electric

Komatsu has been building electric drive trucks since 1967, so the company is well-versed in all the advantages they offer companies.

“The benefit is that you have fewer mechanical components. We tend to have better control when we travel off the grade because we don’t have gear shifting,” Shoemaker says.

Having fewer mechanical components also helps companies with controlling their operating costs. The electric drive trucks also require 40 percent less fluids and oils than mechanical drive trucks.

Another advantage is the wheel brake system.“We have fairly high breaking capacity on our trucks, which allows us to do downhill hauling,” Shoemaker says. Komatsu’s EDTs also offers a tight turning radius. The 830E-5 has a turning radius of 14 m (46 feet), while the 930E-5 has a turning radius of 32 m (105 feet), and the 980E-5 has a turning radius of 15.9 m (52 ft. 2 in.). “Our trucks have a tighter turning radius, making it easier to work in a smaller mining pit with this type of equipment because you can around smoothly,” King says. The EDTs are also built with an easy maintenance design. The trucks feature KOMTRAX Plus 2, which allows immediate diagnostics of key engine, chassis, and drive system components. They also come with an automatic lubrication system, an Eliminator oil filtration system, flange-mounted rims with optional Komatsu Smart, speed type rims, and in-tank fast fuel.

Staying Safe

An improved control cabinet is one of the latest safety improvements to Komatsu’s electric drive trucks.

“We’ve done a lot of work with isolations. We have a high-voltage area of the cabinet and a low-voltage area. The high-voltage area is purposely bolted shut, so people need to have the right tools to get in there,” Shoemaker says.

Komatsu has improved the lighting for the cabinets for enhanced visibility and has also performed a significant amount of significant work on enhancing safety for working at heights, improving accesses, egresses and emergency exit systems.

Komatsu also offers KomVision, which gives operators a complete view around the truck for improved visibility. “It’s improved the safety for the operators and everyone around the trucks,” King says.

Operator comfort

The operator cabs have an ergonomical design and spacious cab for excellent visibility. They feature fully adjustable driving position settings, four post ROPS/FOPS level 2 cab; a user-friendly display with payload information, and Komatsu Hydrair II suspensions designed for optimum ride comfort.

Coming soon

Komatsu is preparing to launch its assisted brake management product.

“The operator will be able to stop while on the grade, and then as they move from the retard pedal – the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal – usually the truck rolls back a little bit. But we’ve developed a feature that will hold the axle with enough time to go from the break to the retard pedal,” Shoemaker says.

Komatsu has also been working on a power agnostic truck that will be out in a few years. The will allow customers to use different power sources, whether a diesel, diesel-hybrid or potentially a battery-powered model.

For more information on Komatsu’s electric drive trucks, visit www.smsequipment.com

830E-5

EMISSION RATING
Tier 4 Final

NET HORSEPOWER
2385 HP @1,800 rpm (1778 kW @1,800 rpm)

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT
901400 lb (408875 kg)

HEAPED BODY CAPACITY
207 yd³ (158 m³)

PAYLOAD
250 U.S. tons (227 metric tons)

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930E-5

EMISSION RATING
Tier 4 Final

NET HORSEPOWER
2,588 HP @1,800 rpm (1929 kW @1,800 rpm)

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT
1150000 lb (521640 kg)

HEAPED BODY CAPACITY
264 yd³ (202 m³)

PAYLOAD
320 U.S. tons (290 metric tons)

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980E-5

EMISSION RATING
Tier 4 Final

NET HORSEPOWER
3,346 HP @1,800 rpm (2495 kW @1,800 rpm)

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT
1384500 lb (627999 kg)

HEAPED BODY CAPACITY
327 yd³ (250 m³)

PAYLOAD
400 U.S. tons (363 metric tons)

More Details