Cummins and Komatsu have announced a collaboration to jointly develop zero-emissions haulage equipment for the mining sector.

The global power technology leader said in a statement that it signed a memorandum of understanding that will see it build on a legacy of diesel engine partnerships with Komatsu across a wide variety of mining and construction equipment.

Cummins and Komatsu will initially focus on zero emissions power technologies, including hydrogen fuel cell solutions, for application in large mining haul trucks produced by the Japanese giant, a global provider of equipment and services for the construction and mining industries.

Amy Davis, vice-president and president of New Power at Cummins, said: “Komatsu’s deep expertise in mining and equipment design, and integration, paired with our advanced power technologies including hydrogen fuel cells, will accelerate decarbonisation of mining equipment. The mining industry has great potential to lead in adopting renewable solutions.”

In August 2021, Komatsu announced its power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources, including diesel electric, trolley, battery power and hydrogen fuel cells. Working with Cummins is complementary to Komatsu’s development of the power agnostic truck.

Cummins said that as a leading independent power provider in the mining segment, it provides unique application understanding that is critical to introducing reliable, quality products that can withstand the harshest environments. Cummins has a broad portfolio of batteries, fuel cell systems and electrolysers (for generating hydrogen), that are key building blocks for decarbonisation. Together, the two companies have a long history in the global mining market and strong technical capabilities necessary to develop these new solutions.

Masayuki Moriyama, president of Komatsu’s Mining Business Division, said: “Cummins has been a long-term partner of Komatsu and has been investing in the key technologies required to support the energy transition in mining. “These are critical technologies for helping mining customers reduce carbon emissions and accelerate carbon neutrality. Building on our partnership with Cummins, we are working to accelerate sustainable solutions for our customers.”

Komatsu is committed to minimising environmental impact through its business, targeting a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from use of its products and production of its equipment by 2030 (compared to 2010 levels) and a challenge target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Komatsu has for long worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through its electric diesel dump trucks, hybrid excavators, electric power excavators, regenerative energy storage capabilities and fuel saver programmes.

Last year, Komatsu announced the creation of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) alliance with customers to actively collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure. The alliance’s initial target is advancing Komatsu’s power-agnostic truck concept, with a goal of commercial offering in 2030.

Cummins, meanwhile, considers its collaboration with Komatsu as part of its Destination Zero strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of its products, and reach net zero emissions by 2050. This commitment requires changes to Cummins’ products and the energy sources that power them. Additionally, Komatsu intends to explore further possibilities in zero emissions mining haul truck development.