South Africa needs a pragmatic, integrated strategy to promote sustainable transport, according to Vishaal Lutchman, Managing Director, Transport, at leading consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory practice Zutari. “We do not have a strategy around sustainable transport, yet we focused on granular technology solutions such as putting in the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs).”

Lutchman adds that while the emphasis tends to be on EVs in terms of sustainable transport, alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen offer potentially more cost-effective and viable alternatives. However, the viability is yet to be tested, especially as environmental considerations cannot be the only dimension of sustainable transport.

In mature economies, sustainable transport focuses on environmental concerns such as reduced emissions. A key focus in South Africa remains its socioeconomic and human impact. “For many developing countries in the Global South, transitioning to renewables may not be the number one item on their sustainability agenda. Rather, it may be how to raise employment levels while dealing with the systemic inequality inculcated by the colonisation project, which presents many legacy phenomena to deal with,” comments Lutchman.

He points out that the notion of sustainable transport is invariably raised without addressing it on any practical or easily implementable level. Sustainability is inevitably linked to the Just Energy Transition to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. However, transport is as much a management issue as it is about transformation.

For example, the taxi industry – which is responsible for transporting 80% of commuters in South Africa – is not only unsustainable but unregulated, resulting in clashes when alternative modes of transport such as e-hailing and passenger rail are introduced as part of a holistic, integrated transport plan.

“The taxi industry grew out of the need for a solution due to the lack of public transport to connect the bulk of the population to the mainstream economy. While it has fulfilled that need, the imbalance in the overall transport system means we have unsafe vehicles on the road posing a danger to commuters, who have no alternative but to use taxis,” says Lutchman. There needs to be options allowing for natural competition and keeping prices in check.

Sustainable transport also means affordable transport, and here the taxi industry in particular is at the mercy of the volatile oil price associated currency risks which has seen fuel costs rise locally, adding further strain to commuters’ budgets in terms of transport expenses. Increased urbanisation, combined with a young, growing population, has also skewed South Africa’s commuter profile in favour of the taxi industry.

“It is a problem as the government of the day feels held hostage by the taxi industry and its demands. Drivers and commuters have a voice in scale and the capability to manipulate outcomes,” argues Lutchman. “The government is finding it hard to integrate the taxi industry into a national intermodal system, but it needs to be done. Ultimately it needs to be done decisively to meet the future transport needs of a developing economy, combined with a growing population, so that it can be sustainable.” The enabling issues are complex and must be dealt, such as an integrated plan, funding, and dealing with socio-economic initiatives.

Lutchman highlights: “The issues we are dealing with regarding transport are far bigger than an academic approach to sustainability. Our collective mandate is to deliver safe and reliable transport for ourselves (the public and private sector) with a government that has to lead its people towards pragmatic future-proofed solutions while dealing with current crises,” concludes Lutchman.

A new zero emission heavy transport vehicle has been created, which can remove the carbon impact of installing large infrastructure such as bridges, wind turbines and power station components. Mammoet – the world’s largest heavy lifting and transport company – is responsible.

It works by converting existing Self-propelled Modular Transporters – or SPMTs – from diesel to electric power. SPMTs are the workhorse of heavy industry, used in almost every large energy and construction project worldwide.

Mammoet developed a retrofit kit to replace diesel engines in the vehicles with electric motors. Once converted, each SPMT works in the same way as before: transporting objects up to thousands of tonnes at walking pace, using a remote control.

The new vehicle shows Mammoet’s strong commitment to the energy transition, and to its own sustainability. Fitting new engines in existing SPMT fleets cuts down on both waste and additional construction, compared to purchasing new zero emission equipment.

The new SPMT can eliminate the carbon footprint of site transports. This allows our customers to reduce the impact of large infrastructure projects on surrounding people, businesses and infrastructure.

It reduces noise levels at project sites, making working conditions quieter and safer. Communication between staff is clearer, while work can take place for longer at sites with sound restrictions.

This solution was part-financed by the DKTI, a Dutch government program to develop climate technologies and innovations in logistics. Mammoet worked with a leading provider of zero emission powertrains for heavy industry to bring the electric power pack solution to market.

Developed by Mammoet in 1984 and with over 40,000 axle lines in use globally, the SPMT, or Self-propelled Modular Transporter, revolutionized heavy industry by moving any heavy load safely, efficiently and with precision.

This next step in its story will be just as significant, reducing their CO2 and NOx emissions to nil and pointing the way towards a sustainable future for heavy transport.

The inaugural Kasomeno-Mwenda Toll Road Project (KMTR) Bilateral meeting was led by the Republic of Zambia’s Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, the Hon. Charles Milupi, and Nico Nzau Nzau, the Director-General of the ACGT in the Democratic Republic of Congo and delegation leader.

The three day workshop focussed on the structured layers of the joint steering committees and how to harmonise legal frameworks for the One Stop Border Post Agreement (OSBPA). The steering committees are composed of senior representatives from various ministries, the Road Development Agency (RDA) and Agence Congolaise des Grand Travaux (ACGT), Zambia and DRC’s road works agencies respectively.

“This inaugural meeting of the joint Zambia–Democratic Republic of Congo steering committee on the Kasomeno-Mwenda Toll Road Project and one-stop border posts marks a significant milestone in efforts to actualise the project. The new Zambian administration is committed to further strengthening our bilateral relations for socio-economic developments,” commented the Hon. Charles Milupi in his opening remarks.

Livingstone was selected as the venue for this first series of workshops due to its proximity to the Kazungula OSBP between Zambia and Botswana. Day 1 concluded with a site inspection and walk through of the streamlined customs and immigration processes and procedures.

Kazungula is regarded as a model of which to structure GED Africa’s OSBP development along the planned 185km route connecting the mineral rich Haut-Katanga to Luapula’s agricultural sector.

Hon. Milupi’s sentiments were echoed by Nico Nzau Nzau of the ACGT, who added, “Our main objective is to iron out any differences of views in order to facilitate trade by the efficient movement of goods and people in the COMESA and SADC regions, and to improve the socio-economic conditions of populations along the river, as well the economic indicators of our respective nations.”

Day 2 started with a constructive debrief on what was witnessed during the site visit ang Zambia presented on lessons learnt from Kazungula’s development. GED Africa, as the concessionaire, presented the strategy and conceptual OSBP design.

Day 3 concluded with a project status update from GED Africa’s CEO, Klaus Findt. He further added that “The KMTR Bilateral Meeting marks a critical milestone in the improvement of trade and transport between the DRC and Zambia. The KMTR is perfectly positioned to facilitate local trade and unlock the region’s potential through enhanced access to international markets through East African ports.. “This can only be achieved through the degree of bilateral collaboration that we have witnessed this week.”

Wood Mackenzie, the leading provider of decision intelligence for the world’s natural resources sector, today launched the Electric Vehicles and Battery Supply Chain Service (EVBSC) at the Mining Indaba 2023 conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

The EVBSC is a new product that provides end-to-end detailed analysis and forecasts of the electric transportation value chain including quarterly long-term outlooks to 2050 and 10-year forecasts, and monthly short-term reports and data for EV, Li-ion battery and raw materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese) markets.

The EVBSC has been designed to help users:

• Understand future supply trends across key battery raw materials.
• Predict battery and metals demand with our electric vehicle and energy storage forecasts.
• Analyse trade flows and patterns for battery chemicals and components.
• Evaluate new growth opportunities in the battery materials sector.
• Identify trends in country and company electrification targets.
• Assess cell manufacturers’ technologies and detail automakers’ supply chains.
• Leverage our price forecast for benchmark and ‘battery grade’ metals.

“The EVBSC has been created by Wood Mackenzie to reflect the growing interest in one of the most important sectors for the implementation of a successful energy transition,” Max Reid, Senior Research Analyst for the EVBSC at Wood Mackenzie said. “Having access to detailed analysis and forecasts of the electric transportation value chain will allow subscribers to assess investment opportunities and make cost-effective sourcing decisions from mine to market.”

The EVBSC also monitors key end-use markets, industry news, price movements and related macroeconomics.

Mining Indaba 2023 is Africa’s largest conference dedicated to the continent’s mining and metals industries and is running from 6-9 February.

Mining and tunnelling equipment manufacturer GHH has unveiled a new load haul dumper (LHD): The LF-10 NEO is a powerful and compact 10 ton loader, an all-around improved version of the LF-10, a well-established product in it’s class. The LF-10 NEO is the latest in a line of new GHH loaders like the LF-14, the LF-7 and the LF-8.

The LF-10 NEO has a z-link design with the maximum tipping height in its class, of 2.5 m, which is perfect for truck loading all 30 ton trucks in the market. “The high break out forces, efficient boom and bucket motion times as well as the strong power to weight ratio makes the LF-10 NEO one of the best in class” says Ingo Rath, Product Line Manager Loaders at GHH in Germany. With a length of 9,6 m and width of 2,6 m the LF-10 NEO is very compact and versatile for excellent manoeuvrability in a mid-seam underground mining environment.

Best in class in the mid-range segment

The standard bucket holds 4,6 m3 or 10 tons at 2500 mm width, making loading and unloading easier and more cost-effective. “GHH installs the water-cooled Mercedes OM936 diesel engine with 240 kW which is the best in the 10 ton loader size class”, says Rath. “The large fuel tank also allows for full shift operation with no worry for refuelling mid shift and losing valuable production time”. Exhaust gas emissions complies with EPA Tier 3 or EU Stage IIIA on the standard machine, while EU Stage V is also optionally available. The low fuel consumption, ease of maintainability and robust design as well as durability and reliability of the product all add to the low operating costs.

The LF-10 NEO has a great operators’ compartment which boasts excellent ergonomics, which is evident through the way the controls have been laid out and the general arrangement within the cabin. There is also a nice, large footbox giving the operator significantly more space and comfort, while the excellent visibility rounds off an already well designed operators’ compartment. In general, the loader now comes standard with useful safety and maintainability features such as the Proximity Detection System (PDS) interface, which allows the integration of third-party equipment.  And optional wear sensors on the brakes.

Easy operation, seamless integration

Like other GHH vehicles, the articulated LF-10 NEO is designed for underground hardrock mining and can be ordered with many options. Also worth mentioning is the seamless integration with electronic monitoring and digital analytics systems “GHH inSiTE”, which provides for great insight into the machine performance and maintenance requirements and can be tailored to customers specific needs. The LF-10 NEO, with an operating weight of around 28 tons manages up to 32 km/h with four-speed transmission and gradients up to 25%. It tips the 10-ton payload in just 2,6 seconds. The NEO joins the company´s mid-range segment of LHD offering, which is one of the most comprehensive on the market: The range of 18 diesel and electric models with payloads from 1 to 21 tons is a weighty factor in choosing the perfect loader. And by the way, the Germans have the same great selection in dump trucks to complement. For more information, visit GHHrocks.com on the web.

Building on a foundation of nearly 6,000 trucks sold, the new Cat® 793 offers up to 6% more payload than the 793F and boasts the highest payload in its size class, up to 244 tonnes (265 tons). The available High Performance (HP) Body design further reduces empty machine weight to increase payload capacity.

Increased productivity combines with industry-leading powertrain efficiency to deliver up to 10% more fuel efficiency than competitive trucks and up to a 5% lower fuel consumption compared to the 793F. A choice of full or economy mode settings fine-tunes power needs to the task at hand. Full integration of all Cat components, software, systems and engine ensures the entire truck can be fully optimized to deliver the lowest cost per ton.

Maximum performance

With a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), the new Cat 793 offers up to 10% faster cycle times than competitive trucks. It travels at a class-leading speed of 12.9 km/h (8 mph) on 10% grades and can navigate a maximum 25% grade fully loaded. Enhanced automatic retarding control automatically selects optimum speed based on grade, payload and brake oil temperature to increase speed up to 25% during retarding.

Offering maximum uptime availability, the Cat C175-16 engine powering the new 793 has more than 21 million operating field hours and can achieve over 3.8 million liters (1 million gallons) of fuel burn before overhaul. Its new Cat enhanced oil filtration system increases engine life, eliminates cartridge filter changes and allows for extended oil change intervals. With its gross 1976 kW (2,650 hp) rating, the engine can be ordered in U.S. EPA Tier 2 equivalent or Tier 4 Final/EU Stage 5 configurations to meet any region’s emissions standards.

Simplifying truck operation, advanced speed controls allow the operator to set the desired machine speed and control it with a rotary dial, allowing the powertrain to automatically select the optimum gear and engine speed. The 793’s Advanced Power Electronic Control Strategy transmission maintains forward momentum and torque while shifting with optimum gear selection, providing faster acceleration times.

Improvements to the Cat Payload system on the 793 deliver more accurate payload measurement and monitoring. Available operator speed coaching helps the operator achieve the truck’s maximum potential. The optional AutoHoist lowers fuel burn and simplifies body dump by automating four continuous operator hand and foot inputs into two easy hand inputs to reduce dump cycle times by up to 12 seconds.

Various body style configurations for the 793 offer the best value for the mine. The HP Body offers up to 2.5 tonnes (2.75 tons) payload improvement over the Mine Specific Design (MSD) body, while the MSD II Body excels in mature mines. Robust structural elements unite with geometric and steel efficiencies to create the durable, high-volume Coal Body.

Autonomy boosts productivity

The new Cat 793 delivers cutting-edge connectivity with fully integrated Cat electronics featuring 100 Mbps, two-wire ethernet connectivity for faster data transfer, improving access to information. With its future-proof technology platform, every truck is shipped factory-equipped with Cat Product Link Elite with standard 4G/LTE cellular connectivity or optional dual mode cellular/satellite or local Wi-Fi networks for reliable data transfer.

A fully integrated factory offering for the next generation 793, the autonomous haulage system, Cat MineStar Command for hauling, can increase truck productivity by more than 20%. More than 550 Cat autonomous trucks are in service and have safely hauled over 5 billion tonnes of material. Compared to staffed trucks, miners have reported up to 11% better fuel efficiency, up to 35% more tire life and near-continuous truck utilization.

The 793 offers easier integration of the available suite of MineStar telematics solutions. The offering includes MineStar Fleet, the next generation of fleet dispatching system; MineStar Detect camera vision system with optional 360-degree surround view; and MineStar Health equipment insights.

Operator- and safety-focused environment

The new 793 shares a common cab and next gen technology design with the 785 and 789 truck models, offering the same familiar driving and operating experience. Two ideally located 254-mm (10-in) screens consolidate all machine data, controls and guidance information, and applications such as Cat MineStar, to reduce the number of required displays. An available advanced filtration system includes optional high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to reduce respirable dust penetration by 96%.

A host of confidence-building operator controls include configurable second gear start that monitors grade and payload to determine if the 793 can automatically start in second gear, improving drivability and durability and using less fuel. Reducing tire wear and damage, enhanced traction control increases control responsiveness and power to the ground to improve machine controllability and performance. An available anti-lock brake system helps maintain the travel path when sliding, and dynamic stability control monitors operator steering intention and machine motion to keep the machine tracking.

Standard Cat Detect – Object Detection combines radar and camera systems to warn operators of light vehicles and stationary hazards within the truck’s immediate vicinity. The optional in-cab Driver Safety System features technology that instantly detects and alerts operators the moment fatigue or distraction are identified. Eliminating two-foot hill starts and reducing collision potential, the truck’s hill start keeps the truck stationary on grades and anti-rollback automatically stops the truck when rolling in the opposite direction of the selected gear.

Reduced downtime key contributors

The 793’s design reduces key downtime factors. Its new modular HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system improves durability by 20% and can be swapped within an hour without an HVAC technician, improving physical availability by up to 0.5%. Remote Troubleshoot allows secure remote access to service and machine data for troubleshooting and diagnostics. Remote Flash optimizes equipment performance and productivity with the latest software and decreases downtime for software installation by as much as 50%.

Designed to last over 100,000 hours, the 793’s long-life frame features mild steel to provide flexibility, durability and resistance to impact loads, and the frame, powertrain, engine and components are built to be rebuilt. The addition of centrifugal oil and self-cleaning filters extend oil change intervals and offer up to 67% reduction in annual oil consumption. The 793’s improved service center, grouped ground-level maintenance and checkpoints, and 1,000-hour hydraulic filters combine to save time on regular maintenance procedures.