Vale and mining gear maker Epiroc announced that they have finalized the world’s first Batteries as a Service (BaaS) agreement, which is a new approach for utilizing battery technology in mining operations.
The idea is that Epiroc will work directly with Vale and other clients to define a battery plan that suits the needs of their operations. Then, the Swedish company will be in charge of monitoring the batteries for predictive maintenance with reduced downtime and guarantee their lifespan.
In a media statement, Epiroc said its BaaS team will also be in charge of removing old batteries from mining sites and replacing them with new ones. The older batteries will be then used for secondary applications and will be recycled at the end of the process.
“Along with the BaaS agreement, Epiroc will be providing Vale with 10 battery-electric vehicles for two Canadian mine sites,” the press release reads. “To complement the new battery fleet, Vale will also be adding three of Epiroc’s charging cabinets and seven charging posts for equipment support.”