Australian mining company Fortescue is looking to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations by allowing a specially designed electric train to roll down a hill to charge its massive batteries without ever relying on an external charging system.
The Fortescue CEO said in a statement that the train has the capacity to be the world's most efficient battery electric locomotive.
Since the train is lighter on the way up, it will be able to generate enough energy to make it back up to the mine.
It isn't the only system using the same principle. Dump trucks that haul lime off the side of a Swiss mountain consume zero net energy by using a regenerative breaking system. The system produces a surplus of energy each day.
The mining companies around the globe are looking to clean up their act by coming up with novel technologies. Last year, the world's largest miners pledged to go carbon neutral.
Fortescue wants to decarbonize its mining operations by the year 2030.
Fortescue founder and chairman Andrew Forrest said that the Infinity Train will accelerate the race to reach net zero emissions by 2030.
When it comes to carbon emissions, the train could have a huge impact. Last year, Fortescue's rail operations consumed over 80 million liters of diesel.
Even though mining isn't great for the environment, cleaning up its impact is a step in the right direction.
TheInfinity Train will charge itself using gravity.
Corporations are sending huge mining machines to the bottom of the ocean.
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