Four 1.2MW motors power world’s biggest truck

Published: 19 November, 2014

The world's largest truck, a 360-tonne vehicle powered by four 1.2MW electric motors, has entered service at a mine in Siberia. The 20m-long truck, built by the Belarussian manufacturer BelAZ, has a top speed of 64 km/h when empty. It can carry around 450 tonnes of cargo – equivalent to seven fully-loaded Airbus A320-200 planes or 350 VW Golf cars, and 25% more than any other truck at the time it was designed.

The all-wheel drive system, developed by Siemens traction-drive experts in Nuremberg, Germany, is powered by two on-board generators, each of which is driven by a 16-cylinder diesel engine with an output of around 1.7MW.

The drive system allows dynamic distribution of traction power to both of the truck's axles. If one of the motors fails, the truck can continue to drive under its own power. The four-wheel drive system and the four-wheel hydraulic steering system help to ensure that the eight 4m-high tyres, each of which can support 100 tonnes, don't get stuck in rough terrain.

The BelAZ monster truck weight more than 800 tonnes when fully laden

The BelAZ 75710 truck, which weighs more than 800 tonnes when fully loaded, is almost 10m wide and 8m high. It took less than two years to design and build. The truck is designed primarily for transporting coal and iron-ore-bearing rocks.