Hindustan Zinc to Invest $1 Billion to Replace Diesel Vehicles with Battery EVs

In the next five years, Hindustan Zinc Ltd would invest around US$ 1 billion (~ Rs. 7,440 crore) across its eight mines to replace diesel-powered trucks and equipment with battery-powered vehicles, according to company CEO Mr. Arun Misra.

In the first phase, the business will install three Normet SmartDrive EVs – a ‘Spraymec,’ a ‘Agitator,’ and a ‘Charmec’ – in its deep mines, as part of an agreement with Finnish technology firm Normet Group Oy to introduce front-line battery-powered service equipment in underground mining.

“We have a five-year plan to replace all of our present equipment as needed. Then battery-powered equipment will take their place, and our mines will be free from diesel-powered equipment in five to six years. There are hundreds of them, not tens or even twenties “PTI quoted MR. Misra as saying.

When asked how much money the firm will spend into the exercise, he replied, “it might go up to say US$ 200 to US$ 250 million each year and near to US$ 1 billion over five years.”

HZL inked an MoU with Epiroc Rock Drills AB earlier this year to deploy another fleet of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in their deep mines for production equipment, according to Mr. Misra, who added that the Normet collaboration is for support equipment.

“As a result, the two will finish one mining operation segment of a mine jointly. We have eight mines in our possession (in India). This is the first step”. He went on to say that this would allow the firm to test and evaluate the benefits and drawbacks, as well as the infrastructure needed for maintenance, and move the process ahead.

HZL claims that the Normet SmartDrive EV will save them a lot of money on high-speed diesel (HSD) and maintenance. Around 3 lakh gallons of HSD may be saved each vehicle by replacing HSD cars with Normet SmartDrive battery-powered automobiles.

It stated that by swapping three SmartDrive EVs for HSD cars, about 10 lakh gallons of gasoline may be saved.

“Our cooperation with Hindustan Zinc for the Normet SmartDrive Vehicles is a milestone on our joint path towards safe, sustainable, and green mining,” stated Mr. Subhasis Mohanty, Vice President, Ind

ia Sales Area and MD Normet India, in response to the news.

Normet SmartDrive is a modular BEV architecture developed for underground mining and tunneling applications to reduce energy consumption and improve performance.

The SmartDrive equipment enables higher productivity, lower operating costs, and, most importantly, zero local emissions, according to the company. It also maximizes the storing of regenerative braking energy during downhill driving and deceleration, thanks to in-built energy recuperation technology.

HZL’s transition to EVs for underground mining operations, according to Mr. Misra, is primarily motivated by the company’s dedication to sustainable business and the ‘Race to Net Zero.’

“By assisting us in achieving our Sustainability Development Goal of decreasing carbon emissions, our cooperation with Normet reaffirms our commitment to sustainable operations for a greener tomorrow. We think that the adoption of BEVs in underground mining would be a game-changer for the sector and a significant step forward for India in terms of responsible mining “In a statement, he added.

He claims that by replacing diesel vehicles and equipment in mines with battery-powered electric vehicles, HZL will be able to save on maintenance expenses, total cost of ownership, and make the mining environment “far superior to what we have.”

“CO2 emissions will be reduced since we will not be using diesel. We already have solar power facilities in several of our mines, and we’ll be using it to charge our vehicles “According to Mr. Misra.

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