The maintenance costs of electric mining trucks are generally 40-60% lower than diesel trucks. With fewer mechanical parts and no need for components like fuel injectors or exhaust systems, maintenance is simplified. Typical costs are around $800,000 to $1.5 million annually for a fleet, with longer service intervals (up to 1,000 hours) and reduced labor requirements.

Battery replacement expenses

Although electric mining trucks are a cleaner and much more efficient alternative to their old diesel cousins, they are often saddled with huge operational costs, especially in terms of replacing the battery. The cost of battery replacement in electric mining trucks varies between $200,000 and $500,000, depending on the size of the truck, the type of battery used, and specifications defined by the manufacturer. For instance, a Komatsu 930E truck, a sort of heavyweight with a payload capacity of 290 tons, would demand upwards of $400,000 for battery replacement. These batteries are essential for ensuring the performance and lifetime of the machines, working day and night-always 24/7-in operations.

The lifespan of these batteries generally ranges from 5 to 10 years, sometimes varying due to environmental factors and intensity of mining operations. A paper reported in Mining Magazine stated that batteries fitted to electric haul trucks can lose about 10-15% efficiency every year with inadequate maintenance. Degradation, in this case, could mean that the truck moves, but less of its energy is converted to motion, meaning more fuel will be consumed (in the case of hybrid models) or more stress will be induced on the electrical system.

Looking at the energy capacity, electric mining truck batteries have a capacity ranging from 1,500 kWh to well over 3,000 kWh. In context, one of these truck batteries is roughly equivalent to the total battery capacity of 50-70 Tesla Model S vehicles taken together. This enormous energy demand comes with its own challenges: not only are the batteries costly to replace, they also need special maintenance and handling due to their sheer size and complexities. The cooling system alone, which is responsible for keeping the battery temperature within safe limits, could cost about $50,000 for repair or replacement if damaged.

Now consider one more aspect of operational cost: the total maintenance of electric mining trucks for a mine could reach anywhere between $1.5 million to $2.5 million a year. Huge portions of these costs go to battery replacements. This is without including extra costs such as charging infrastructure, labor, and regular maintenance checks. However, a properly maintained electric truck fleet proves more energy efficient in the long run. For example, diesel mining trucks burn around 50-100 liters of diesel per hour, while electric trucks work at just a few cents per kilowatt-hour, with a payback period on investment of some 5 to 7 years. In fact, some reports indicated that electric mining trucks can boast an operational cost reduction of even 30 percent during their entire life cycle compared to diesels.

Another major question that arises is a truck's residual value and warranty coverage. Electric truck manufacturers like Caterpillar and Volvo offer warranties covering the battery for a period of 5-8 years or 5,000-8,000 operating hours-whichever comes first. When the warranty of a truck ends, however, companies usually bear the burden of covering all costs associated with replacement and repairs, often with an alarming scope. However, what is interesting is the rising trend of utilizing second life for batteries, which is changing the situation. New developments are underway for repurposing used mining truck batteries as energy storage solutions, putting forward some of the incurred costs. For instance, BASF partnered with various firms to explore battery reuse, with some second-life batteries showing up to 70% efficiency after their primary use in mining.

Fewer mechanical parts

The comparative reduction in mechanical complexity of electric trucks offers several advantages to mining operations. For example, conventional diesel trucks depend on hundreds of components from fuel injectors and radiators to exhaust systems and complex transmission systems; thus, the overwhelming majority of the moving parts found in electric trucks and other pieces of mining equipment are not present in diesel trucks. About 30 percent reduction in overall moving parts is attributed to the relatively simple design of electric mining trucks, which brings huge savings in terms of costs for parts, labor, and maintenance.

In particular, electric mining trucks have no need for conventional transmission systems requiring diesel trucks to have complicated gear systems. Butter smooth operational continuity of diesel trucks is continuously interrupted by wear and tear and periodic services on their complex transmission system. Depending on make, model, and severity of the issue, fixed costs in transmission failure repairs for heavy-duty trucks can reach anywhere between $50,000 and $80,000. The electric drivetrains employed in electric trucks have a very simple configuration, mostly composed of direct-drive systems with a single-speed gearbox. The simple design increases the lifespan and reliability of the trucks, with cost savings from repairs over their lifetime being approximately 60%.

Another virtue becomes visible in the freedom of electric trucks from exhaust systems. With diesel on board, mining trucks run into repair expenses associated with exhaust gas recirculation EGR and diesel particulate filter systems DPF, audible costs include about $10,000 to $15,000 for DPF replacement and about $5,000 to $8,000 for EGR failure repairs. All these systems are completely unnecessary for electric trucks, reducing both parts count and maintenance costs.

Cooling systems are noticeably simplified with the addition of electric trucks. Diesel trucks rely on a cooling system that can be an elaborate mix of cooling fans, radiators, and oil coolers to regulate heat dissipation through the engine. These systems often demand intensive maintenance and frequently become the cause of a breakdown; hence repair costs can run anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. Electric mining trucks, however, have cooling systems designed to maintain temperature of the batteries as well as the heat produced by the electric motors, requiring minimally low maintenance comparatively. More compact in size and efficient, thus reducing the overall associated cost too.

The simple structure of an electric truck leads to reliability as well as increased production time. A Frost and Sullivan study has shown that, because of their less complex designs, electric mining trucks run 40 percent more uptime than diesel mining trucks. While further mechanical complication means more chances to fail, the more simple design of electric trucks enables them to run longer without intermittent unscheduled repairs, thereby improving their profitability. For instantiation, one electric truck could log up to 2,000 additional operating hours compared to a diesel truck, which would equate to approximately $200,000 in productivity losses per year saved due to avoided downtime.

Lower servicing frequency

Low servicing frequency is one of the most alluring advantages of electric trucks for mining. Electric trucks require much less maintenance than diesel ones. For example, the time between maintenance for electric trucks is up to 1,000 hours, while diesel ones have their maintenance done after 250-500 hours. This means that in the long run, electric trucks could require up to four times fewer service visits, amounting to heavy savings on labor and parts.

Consider electric mining trucks from Komatsu. Their servicing cycles are usually long because their design is simple. The electric motor has fewer moving parts and needs less maintenance than a diesel truck's internal combustion engine. For instance, while a diesel engine might require major overhaul after 5,000 hours of operations, an electric motor is likely to last up to 20,000 hours without any significant repairs. Review the cost to overhaul a diesel engine- that can easily go over 150,000 dollars. The lower electric motor servicing cost cuts that cost by around 80 percent during the truck's operations life.

Concerning component wear, diesel trucks undergo a more brutal maintenance brawl from filters, oil systems to cooling systems that should undergo constant checks and replacements. For instance, replacing a diesel particulate filter (DPF) may cost around $10,000 to $15,000. Also, the fuel injectors should be replacing after operating for about 4,000 to 6,000 hours. The cost of replacement is $5,000 to $8,000 per injector. Electric mining trucks do away with all these components hence significantly reducing parts-related failures and associated maintenance costs by as high as 50-60%.

Also, lower service frequency contributes to overall operational efficiency in electric trucks. For a fleet of diesel mining trucks, maintenance would translate to sub-5% downtime of total operational hours annually. This downtime is most likely associated with some complex repairs, engine diagnostics, fuel system maintenance, exhaust system cleanings, and more. With electric trucks, uptime could be achieved as much as 98% due to their simpler and more reliable drivetrains. The operational hour increase thus could yield return on investments (ROI) up to 20-30% higher than that of diesel alternatives, since companies could run their trucks longer without interruption.

The battery management system (BMS) comes into play in reducing service frequency. The BMS then in electric mining trucks is responsible for among others supervision of the health of the battery and operation at maximum efficiency. It reduces the risk of surprises that are mostly commonplace with diesel engines, where engine failure could occur due to overheating and maybe oil contamination. Properly managed, batteries of electric trucks can last for 8 to 10 years while a diesel engine's life normally does not go beyond 5 to 7 years in major replacements.