Siemens Sicharge electric charging stations for mines

Siemens Australia and WA mining services supplier Murray Engineering have developed a high-powered electric vehicle charging station for use at mines both below and above ground. The vehicle agnostic charging stations will be used to power a new light electric vehicle (eLV), providing a holistic fully enclosed solution, designed to handle the tough mining conditions in Australia.

The first of the eLVs will be ready for testing by the end of the year, with potential application at mine sites by mid-2022. Siemens Sicharge UC high power DC chargers will provide a flexible output range from 125 to 600 kW, enabling charging stations to scale for light, medium and heavy vehicles.

Murray Engineering will design a heavy-duty enclosure to protect the unit from harsh underground conditions and enable ease of manoeuvrability. The enclosures will be air conditioned to protect the chargers and will have human machine interface (HMI) panels on the outside to control the unit. These units will allow vehicles to be fully charged in minutes, rather than hours.

Many existing electric vehicles designed for mining are matched to their own charging station, making the solution inefficient in the long run. The solution developed by Siemens Australia and Murray Engineering will be vehicle agnostic, with the potential to be scaled up as required.