Fortescue’s hydrogen powered Liebherr T 264 drives on hydrogen for first time

Colmar (France), 23 May 2024. The successful operation of the truck – known as Europa – with hydrogen is an exciting next step in Liebherr and Fortescue’s journey to develop and supply zero emission haul trucks for the mining industry.

“With Europa soon moving to site, Liebherr and Fortescue have taken an important step closer to their common target of developing and building zero emission solutions for the mining industry that are both field proven and energy agnostic,” explains Joerg Lukowski, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Liebherr Mining. “This success demonstrates the incredible capabilities of two Tier 1 companies working together to develop viable technologies today that can help the mining industry move towards a decarbonised future.”

Europa contains a 516 kWh battery (developed in-house by Fortescue WAE) and 500 kilowatts of fuel cells. The prototype can store over 380 kilograms of liquid hydrogen.

Moving forward

Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, Dino Otranto, says “Following the success of our battery electric haul truck prototype at site, we’re thrilled to now have Europa up and running on hydrogen. This is a huge achievement for the team and brings Fortescue another step closer to having a fleet of zero emission trucks at our sites by the end of this decade.

“We’re aiming to transport Europa to our mining operations within the coming weeks where it will then undergo further site-based testing and commissioning. The subsequent test results will inform our future fleet of zero emissions trucks that we’re delivering with Liebherr.”

In June 2022, Fortescue and Liebherr established a partnership for the development and supply of zero emissions mining haul trucks.

Liebherr began delivering the first of Fortescue’s T 264 diesel electric trucks in 2023, which will be converted to zero emission technology before the end of the decade.