Liebherr presents a wide selection of merchandise, applied sciences and companies that may help clients’ decarbonisation journeys. One such resolution is Liebherr Energy Rail – a class-agnostic dynamic energy switch system that can be utilized with each battery-electric and diesel-electric Liebherr vans.
IM noticed the system up shut on a Liebherr battery electrical T 264 truck at bauma 2025 in Munich. It’s primarily based on Liebherr’s confirmed trolley bar expertise and may work with its present diesel-electric and battery-electric haulage options in addition to various powertrain expertise comparable to ammonia and gasoline cell.
Conventional trolley expertise provides this energy through an overhead catenary system supported by masts that stand as much as 15 m tall. The vans on website connect with the catenary system utilizing both a pantograph or bar connection that then passes electrical energy by way of to the truck’s powertrain.
However, Liebherr Energy Rail may have a present collector put in onto the facet of the truck that extends out and connects with the system’s present conducting rail profile. The rail profile will likely be supported by precast concrete foundations and normal H-beam masts that stand 4.5 m tall – one-third of the peak of these wanted for conventional trolley.
The infrastructure that will likely be used for the Liebherr Energy Rail idea is a ready-made resolution from the rail trade Liebherr has harnessed for mining operations. “This is without doubt one of the elements that can make Liebherr Energy Rail a lot quicker and simpler to put in than conventional trolley. And whereas this a part of the system shouldn’t be distinctive, the present collector – which is at the moment in improvement – will likely be.”
Liebherr provides: “The present collector’s design is predicated on our confirmed trolley bar expertise. In earlier iterations, our trolley bar expertise used two bars. For the Liebherr Energy Rail’s present collector design, we mixed the 2 bars right into a single insulated trolley bar with carbon-based sliders that can act as the purpose of contact between the rail and the present collector. We’re working with key trade companions for the design and provide of the present collector and our engineering groups are working to combine this new expertise into our vary of mining vans.”
The present collector will enable as much as 2.6 m of lateral freedom. “We perceive that regardless of how well-kept haul roads on website are, obstacles can crop up. This lateral freedom will enable operators to keep away from these obstacles whereas sustaining optimum ranges of productiveness. We are able to obtain this stage of lateral motion due to the size of the present collector itself. The size will enable the present collector to rotate across the axis on the base of its fibreglass pole, which means the system gained’t be susceptible to being pulled down. When vans have to drive off of the haul roads to keep away from obstacles, they’re extra prone to ‘bounce’ over the tough terrain – like driving over unfastened gravel in a automobile. The torque on the base of the pole will seize the upward drive from the truck’s vertical actions, stopping the influence from affecting the present collector.”
When vans have to keep away from obstacles that require extra clearance than the lateral freedom will enable, the present collector can disconnect and reconnect as wanted. The collector will be capable of do that through the use of an analogous system to our trolley bar connector. Funnels put in at strategic areas inside the system’s infrastructure will information the pinnacle of the present collector into the proper place to make sure a safe connection. The vans will then be capable of safely disconnect from the system at any level in the course of the haul cycle with a easy flip of a swap – whether or not that is executed manually by the operator within the cab or autonomously by considered one of Liebherr’s Help Methods.
Exterior of lowering gasoline consumption – and subsequently greenhouse fuel emissions – the largest good thing about Liebherr Energy Rail will likely be that it has fewer elements than conventional trolley; fewer elements that will likely be simpler to put in. “In truth, putting in the masts will likely be fairly just like putting in streetlamp posts. With fewer elements, Liebherr Energy Rail will be capable of be put in in a fraction of the time wanted to put in a catenary system – which implies you’ll be capable of see the advantages of dynamic energy switch expertise in your website a lot quicker. Having fewer elements additionally implies that Liebherr Energy Rail will be capable of be extra simply relocated to different areas on website. And with fewer elements, Liebherr Energy Rail will likely be a extra economical choice than conventional trolley.”
It provides that this technique will even be far much less intrusive on the haul roads than conventional trolley, including to its capability to be simply put in or relocated on website. Quite than needing as much as 5 m of clearance between a truck and conventional trolley system infrastructure, the masts and rail of Liebherr Energy Rail will take up primarily the identical quantity of area as a berm.
Vehicles operating below Liebherr Energy Rail will be capable of journey at increased speeds than these not related to a dynamic energy switch system – even when hauling a full payload uphill – which is able to enhance the productiveness of haulage fleets. Nonetheless, reaching these speeds will rely upon how the system is for use. Issues just like the inclination of the haul highway and whether or not the system is used for charging or propulsion will influence the speeds that autos can attain whereas related to Liebherr Energy Rail.
To additional optimise productiveness, Liebherr Energy Rail will likely be appropriate with Liebherr’s Trolley Navigation Help system. It is a semi-autonomous system that extends and retracts the present collector so vans are related to Liebherr Energy Rail for the longest attainable time, serving to customers to get the utmost profit out of the dynamic energy switch. “Our Help Methods will guarantee a relentless connection between the present collector and the rail. This connection will assist to minimise stress on operators by automating the connection and disconnection course of, whereas stopping injury to the truck and to the Liebherr Energy Rail system as a complete.”
The present collector will present 2.6 m of lateral freedom, which implies operators can keep away from obstacles on haul roads whereas staying related to the system’s present conducting rail profile.
On high of all of this, the sliders on the present collector will be capable of be simply modified from floor stage with no need the specialised scaffolding or lifts required when engaged on pantographs in conventional trolley. The present collectors may have a ‘upkeep mode’ constructed into their logic that strikes the sliders to an ergonomic top to allow them to be shortly modified out. It will assist to minimise downtime by lowering the quantity time wanted to take away or service these elements – which is able to come in useful because the sliders would be the highest put on merchandise in your complete system as they are going to be in fixed contact with the electrified rail.
